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WE FOUR 



WHERE WE WENT AND WHAT WE 
SAW m EUROPE. 



BY 

MISS L. L. EEES. 



** *Mid pleasures and palaces tho* we may roam, 
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like Home." 
/L. J. H. Payne. 

0^ , ., .--^ 






PHILADELPHIA: 

J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO. 

1880. 



(it 



Copyright, 1879, by J. B. Lippincott & Co. 



TO OUR 

RELATIVES AND FRIENDS IN AMERICA, 

Who wish to know our impressions of our first trip to Europe, this little 
volume is respectfully 

DEDICATED; 

It being a truthful account of a visit paid to Great Britain, France, 
Switzerland, Belgium, and a portion of Germany. 

ONE OF THE FOUR. 
Philadelphia, 1879. 



CONTENTS. 



PART FIRST. 

PAQE 

Departing ^ 

PART SECOND. 
London 31 

PART THIRD. 
Paris . 69 

PART FOURTH. 
Switzerland 130 

PART FIFTH. 
The Rhine 176 

PART SIXTH. 

Scotland 199 

Erato's Story 230 

PART SEVENTH. 
The Trio's Experiences in Ireland . . . . t. . 254 

PART EIGHTH. 
Stratford-upon-Avon . 276 

PART NINTH. 
RsTURNiNa 297 

1* 5 



WE FOUR: 

WHERE WE WENT AND WHAT WE SAW IN EUROPE. 



PAKT FIRST. 

DEPARTING. 
" Rocked in the Cradle of the Deep." 

The Centennial Exposition — the glorious triumph of '76 
and Philadelphia — was over; the immigration of country 
friends had ceased ; the exodus of foreigners had com- 
menced ; and a dulness fell upon us like the plague of dark- 
ness that had fallen upon Egypt when their foreigners wanted 
to return to their own country. Suffering as we did from 
this terrible spirit of unrest, we looked around, seeking 
something to occupy our minds, and there, before us, was 
Utopia, — the most magnificent of cities, — the Paradise of the 
earth, as Monsieur A., with all a Frenchman's vivacity of 
appropriate gestures, said, " I kiss my hand to thee, Paris, 
la helle ville /" 

Yes ! to quiet that perturbed spirit we decided to visit the 
Exposition to be held in Paris in 1878, and planned and an- 
ticipated and talked, while our friends looked scornfully on 
and concluded it would all end in plans, anticipation, and 
talk. But we patiently bided our time. " Who is meant by 
TTe.^" I hear somebody ask. Allow us to introduce our- 
selves. We are four. That tall, fair-haired, blue-eyed lady 
is Artemis ; the slender, brown-eyed, low-voiced one is Clio ; 

7 



8 WE FOUR. 

the stout, lively damsel, who was dubbed by the captain of 
the outbound steamer as the "joUiest woman on board," is 
called Pomona ; the shortest of the party answers to Erato. 
"VVe four called a meeting to consider the question of going 
to Europe, which question was decided in the affirmative by 
a unanimous vote. This being disposed of, the next ques- 
tion before the meeting was a more serious one, as to what 
line the party would commit their precious selves ; so the so- 
ciety went into a committee of the whole to discuss the rela- 
tive merits of the various steamers brought before them, by 
means of circulars, for investigation. All carrying grain 
were to be ignored ; those who made the passage in about 
eight days were eyed askance ; so, after much careful scru- 
tiny, the committee decided on trusting themselves to the 
National Line, as being slow and sure, although we do not 
mean to imply that safety is a natural result of slowness, nor 
that slowness is the handmaiden of sureness. The motion 
was carried. The National Line steamers are large, — from 
the bow to the stern constitutes a walk for an appetite, — their 
progress is consequently a more steady one ; so the quartette 
were to be carried to Europe, starting on the 26th of June, 
by the Canada. But the 26th of June dawned beautifully 
for us, far out " on the ocean," steaming, — for companies 
keep to themselves an individual right, and that is the privi- 
lege of changing their mind, which liberty resulted in the 
Canada starting from Pier 39, foot of Houston Street, New 
York, on the 18th of June. 

Oh, the rain, the rain ! how the crystal drops bedewed 
the gTound on the I'Zth of June ! Were the clouds weeping 
for our departure, as with heavy waterproof cloaks, heavy 
satchels, heavy umbrellas, but with light hearts, we took the 
Bound Brook route for New York ? New York, in contrast 
to Philadelphia, gives one an impression of a foreign city 
until one sees those of the old world ; and then. New York 



DEPARTING 9 

stands out in bold relief as one of tlie busiest metropolises 
of the new. 

Cities, like people, have their important characteristics, — 
landscapes have features and personalities, so while we recog- 
nize our friend's face among a multitude of strange counte- 
nances, so we can individualize cities as distinct from one 
another. " The clouds that had lowered over our house" in 
Philadelphia brooded not over New York, and the morning 
of the 18th of June wore her robes of golden hue, instead 
of the dun-colors of the day before. 

Shall we ever forget the feeling of bidding good-by to 
one's own land and friends with the consciousness of depart- 
ing for one unknown, and to strangers, even if it be but for 
a little while ? What lay before us on that trackless ocean ? *€> 
What snares in those vast thoroughfares of London and 
Paris ? What fell disease was lurking for us in the highways :/ 
and byways of that unknown land of Europe ? We knew not, 
— but God knew, and into His hands we committed ourselves 
and our future. How strange to look around at our fellow- 
passengers and imagine what we should find them to be when 
we knew them better, — to imagine which were husband and 
wife, brother and sister, lover and friend ! But hark ! a bell 
warns us that we must say " good-by" to those dear ones 
who had come to see us off into a brief existence on the ocean 
wave. Adieux were uttered, the anchor hoisted, and amid 
the waving of hats and handkerchiefs we steamed off down 
the bay. Those figures on the wharf grew smaller to our 
sight in the distance until they resembled marionettes, and 
we looked around for some new object of excitement to take 
the place of vanished friends. It came in a pleasant form 
too : to write a letter to those same friends, — their first letter 
to be received from sea, — and we to send it by the hands of our 
pilot, who leaves us at Sandy Hook, and then the last apparent 
link which bound us to America would be severed. But we 



10 WE FOUR. 

four, in our ignorance, liad never tliouglit of this pleasant epi- 
sode, and so were unprovided with postal cards or stamps ; but 
a lady on board, who had travelled before, and came provided, 
put the remainder of her cards at our disposal in such a kind 
manner that we could not refuse them. We received sug- 
gestions as to what to say to our friends from one of the 
officers, — a fair specimen of the English seaman, florid and 
weather-beaten, but with a low voice and kindly manner that 
told of the sailor's warm heart. " Tell your friends," said he, 
" that there was no wind but plenty of weather." Then he 
eulogized the vessel in which he had the honor of sailing. 
We asked him why we had never heard of the staunch ves- 
sel before in such glowing terms. " Because we never have 
an accident to make us known ; ill news travels fast, but the 
Canada, always carrying good tidings, travels slowly." 

But our postal cards were written, and the last shore-friend 
we had was sailing away from us, when we realized that we 
were out on the broad ocean as we looked at Erato. Her 
naturally pale countenance was reflecting the green tinge of 
the waves mixed with the yellow sunlight, and by the manner 
in which she held her handkerchief to her mouth told us 
that a certain squeamishness was arising at this, her first ad- 
venture, on the briny deep. Suddenly she disappeared from 
the smiling deck to the gloom of the cabin below, and there she 
remained for three days. No kind attentions from her three 
companions, no assiduous waiting from the stewardess, could 
arouse her from her state of despondency, from the abject 
misery in which she imagined she lay ; and, as her mind re- 
verted to those who had said they envied her the trip to Eu- 
rope, she wished they were only there to share her first bitter 
experience of a European tour. But the wheels of time 
moved slowly, and when the ship's surgeon sent a verbal 
message by Pomona that he " could do nothing for the in- 
valid, that she must go up on deck if she wanted to get 



ON THE OCEAN. H 

well ; that was the only remedy for sea-sickness," the inva- 
lid's indignation was aroused. "Go on deck !" Unfeeling 
doctor ! while the limbs were weak, the head hot with fever, 
the pulse beating rapidly, the stomach loathing food; on 
deck, indeed, in the very sight of those remorseful waves that 
swallow up the smallest mouthful one tries to take, — on 
deck ! "I shall go on deck or die in the attempt !" was the 
thrilling determination of Erato, and, wrapping her cloak 
and nubia about her, she, with Clio, who was also feeling — 
well, decidedly weak, managed to reach the companion-way, 
where the friendly and strong hands of gentlemen bore them 
the rest of the way. " Where are they placing us ?" was 
the mental question as we were comfortably seated under the 
shadow of a stack of hay and corn, which we learned after- 
ward was stored there for the accommodation of the cattle 
and horses with which the vessel was freighted. 

" Now, imagine yourselves in the country and get well," 
came to our ears from a motherly voice that belonged to one 
of those lovely women whose only mission is to do good. I 
often wonder if, when she gathers her group of five children 
around her in her Canadian home, she ever thinks of those 
who gave their hearts to her beneath the haystack. 

How rapidly convalescence sets in ! how good the soup, 
beef-tea, crackers and cheese, and, above all, how deliciously 
the strawberries tasted when eaten, away from the odors of 
the kitchen ! How the sunbeams sparkled upon the white- 
capped waves, which murmured greetings as they danced^ 
around our noble steamer ! Mother Carey's chickens flew 
around us ; we watched the bright shoals of porpoises, and 
laughed at their curious movements ; rumors of spouting whales 
seen at a distance reached us, and a rush was made to the 
side of the vessel to see, for everything was novel, and we 
were well enough now to enjoy the novelty, and yet I could 
not exclaim with Byron, " I love thee. Ocean !" The breakers, 



12 WE FOUR. 

dashing their foamy arms in air in mockery of our art-work 
of time in contrast with their eternity, awed me into qui- 
etude ; but I can cling to nature like child to a mother in 
the midst of the forest, where the wind murmurs through the 
grand old trees, murmurs its story of the past over and over 
again ; or on the mountain's side, whose peak is lost in the 
azure of the skies ; or where the rivers, streams, and cascades 
are merry with their rippling waters, not like the sullen dash 
of the boundless ocean ! 

If one is a student of human nature, an interesting volume 
is opened before him on shipboard. There may be disguises 
by the tailor or the coiffeur, profession or standing in society 
may be hidden, but the natural disposition, the every-day trait, 
will manifest itself in a two weeks' sojourn on shipboard. 
And if one had opportunities of noting the peculiarities of 
the steerage passengers, we could well say that a vessel is a 
mimic world, and every trait of character, as well as nation- 
ality, is represented on it. In our walks to the bow of the 
vessel, where the motion is least perceptible and where either 
sunrise or sunset is witnessed with a brighter effulgence, and 
where the waves dash the highest and the wind blows the 
fiercest, we noticed a woman with a little child, — a girl with 
a sweet, clean face, that was very attractive. A smile and 
pleasant word to the child soon won the mother's heart, and 
she told us her simple story : her husband had obtained work 
in his own country, and had sent for her to return and bring 
her household goods with her. She had taken passage for 
herself and child on the same vessel with her furniture, and 
which had sailed on Saturday for Liverpool ; but, as she naively 
remarked, " In our country the steamers never start on time, 
so I thought it would be the same way here, and I reached 
the wharf just five minutes after the hour published, and saw 
the vessel going off, and we had nothing with us but the 
clothes on our backs ; all my things are aboard the Erin. The 



ON THE OCEAN. 13 

company were very good to me ; they telegraphed to my hus- 
band in Liverpool that I would start on the next Wednesday 
for London." I might as well mention here, by way of pa- 
renthesis, that the judgment uttered by the poor woman on 
the punctuality of the English steamers was a correct one, and 
we, from our experience, can say the same of the ever-vary- 
ing time-table of the railroads. As the passengers began to 
recuperate and, consequently, to become more social, plans by 
which amusement could be gained were on foot, — mere sing- 
ing and playing the piano, although entertaining for the time, 
wearied on the taste, so a mock trial for breach of promise >- 
was decided upon. The plaintiff and defendant were a lady 
and gentleman from Philadelphia, but for the time being, the 
first had a vegetable stall, or in her own parlance, " sold gar- 
den sasSj^^ while the recreant lover was a dealer in oysters and 
fish. The lawyers were personated by gentlemen from Eng- 
land, New York, and Michigan ; the judge was a lawyer from 
Pennsylvania ; the crier of the court also claimed Philadel- 
phia as his home, and the jury was composed of the rest of 
the gentlemen passengers, who would take part. The fore- 
man of the jury occasioned bursts of laughter by his absurd 
questions, as the defendant's lawyer also did by his legal quib- 
bles. 

The trial was abruptly brought to a termination (as on ship- 
board every amusement must be short) in a very easy man- 
ner. Ridiculous love-letters were produced in court, which 
were said to have been carried backwards and forwards by a 
boy. The boy was not to be found, so the court adjourned 
until he could be procured and brought in as a witness, and 
so ended one very amusing evening, and Miss Greorgiana 
Clementina Scroggins, the plaintiff, Mr. Thomas Titmouse, 
the defendant ; Mrs. Deborah Betty Tadpole, Miss Anna 
Maria Simpkins, and Mrs. Wilhelmina Sauerkraut, witnesses 
for the plaintiff, and Messrs. Grubb, Flipkins, and Grouse, 

2 



14 WE FOUR. 

the lawyers, together with the twelve jurymen with jaw- 
breaking names, retired into the circle of society from which 
they had sprung. 

Another evening amusement and one of the regular ones 
on the National Line is a concert given for the benefit of the 

o Liverpool Sailors' Orphan Asylum, so we mustered up the 
talent that was scattered about so loosely, and, we flatter our- 
selves, managed to have a very fine programme. Two lady 
vocalists, professional, with exquisite voices, gave us sweet 

o melody. The purser (why is it that pursers always sing?)* 
gave solos, as also did other gentlemen, while choruses en- 
livened the repertoire. Professor Charles Whitney, of Bing- 
hamton. New York, a distinguished elocutionist and a hale, 
fine-looking old gentleman (travelling with Mr. E. Mason, of 
Philadelphia), entertained us with recitations, both humorous 

f> and pathetic. Two young ladies also gave, one a reading, the % 
other a recitation. The first was an original poem, and was 
very well received by the audience, but we will let the pro- 
gramme tell its own story. 

PKOGRAMME. 

1. Overture on the Piano. Mrs. Dr. Moore. 

2. Song—" Grandfather's Clock." Mr. A. H. Fillet. 

3. Recitation — " A Ballad of Sir John Franklin." Prof. Charles 
Whitney. 

4. Song — " Good-By, Sweetheart." Mr. McIntosh. 
6. Recitation — " The Curfew." Miss Converse. 

6. Duet — " Hail, Smiling Morn." Mrs. Littlehale, Mr. McIntosh. 

7. Recitation — " First Sight of a Woman." Prof. Charles Whitney. 

8. Song — "Hannah at the Window binding Shoes." Mrs. Anna P. 
Sears. 

9. Address. Rev. Dr. Morrell, of New York. 

10. A Plea for the Orphans. Read by the Authoress. 

11. Piano Solo by Miss Simpson. Collection. 

12. Recitation — "Speech of Wolf Jim in the Missouri Legislature.*' 
Prof. Charles Whitney. 

13. Sleighing Chorus. By the Young Ladies. 

14. Song—" The Warrior Bold," Mr. J. J. Perkins. 



ON THE OCEAN. 15 

15. Recitation — " Charge of the Light Brigade." Prop. Charles 
Whitney. 

A PLEA FOR THE ORPHAN ASYLUM AT LIVERPOOL. 

Father of fatherless, to thee we cry, 

Touch, touch each heart to move in sympathy 

With Thee in Thy great acts ; frail though we be, 

A likeness still, imperfect though, to Thee ! 

Thou lov'st all Thy works in harmony to move, 

Each pulse to beat with Thy Great Heart of Love, 

And so, what seemeth evil is Thy glorious plan. 

To wake diviner thoughts in erring man. 

Thou brought'st this work to us ; the orphan's cry 

To heed, and every tear- washed cheek to dry. 

To read the loneliness that haunts the soul 

When sorrow's billows o'er her treasures roll. 

And washes them away j while sad despair 

Finds in the sterile rock her secret lair ; 

Our work to lure her from her mourning seat, 

And Thy rich promises ever to repeat. 

To teach the boundless Love that in its hand 

Carries the waters, and each shining sand 

That glistens on the shore ; reflects each star 

That from the darkness gazes not more far 

Than we, to learn the height, the depth of the vast mind 

Of Thine, who came to this sad earth to find 

Thy children ; yes, e'en in their darkest hour 

Of pain, they felt Thy mighty power. 

And should we, then, turn sternly, coldly by, 

Saved by the same Hand, from that piteous cry 

That rises up to Heaven like martyrs' song, 

That piteous lay, " Hozo long, God, how long f" 

Look ! warm-hearted men on every side, — 

The gallant crew, their glorious country's pride. 

Beset with dangers hid, yet braving all j 

So firm in action, prompt at duty's call ! 

Then, to the memory of the sailor dead. 

Let's think of those who sit with bowed head 

And mourning robes, — so wan with grief, — 

And come with open hands to their reli-ef ; 

For Pure Religion bids us Le a part 

Of the life-current from the Greater Heart. 



16 WE FOUR. 

The entertainment concluded by the singing by the pas- 
sengers of " God Save the Queen" and " The Star-Spangled 
Banner." 

A Sabbath on shipboard, — ^how peaceful it was ! It was 
one of those beautiful June mornings, and we imagined our 
friends sitting in the soft summer light in their respective 
churches, and we felt that their spirits were blending with 
ours in the unison of prayer. How solemn the sweet words 
of that dear old English liturgy ! and although not read by 
one in consecrated canonicals, yet we know it needs no out- 
ward observance for the human heart to reach the divine. 
At the close of the sacred service, Professor Charles Whitney 
was called upon to recite the 26th chapter of the Acts of 
the Apostles, — " Paul's Defence before King Agrippa," No 
longer before us stood our companion of the voyage, — it was 
Paul, pleading, — telling, in all self-abasement, the errors of 
his early life ; explaining in all humility, his Christian ex- 
perience ; urging in all modesty, the conversion of those 
around him, until he reaches the climax of his oration, and, 
with his fettered arms outspread, says : " I would to God that 
not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were bath 
almost and altogether such as I am, except these bonds." So 
graphically was this rendered, that before the nobleness of the 
apostle we could see the cowering figures of the two royal 
sinners, and the " Almost thou persuadest me" trembling on 
King Agrippa's tongue. 

But we had some incidents that were not programmed, and 
afforded us amusement from the very nature of the surprise 
they gave us. One afternoon, while a party of ladies and 
gentlemen were clustered together, some on chairs, others 
stretched out on rugs on the deck, some reading, others writ- 
ing, and all laughing and talking, a wave, a mocking, treach- 
erous wave, threw itself upon us, and as we rushed away from 
its moist embrace, chuckled a gleeful chuckle at our discom- 



ON THE OCEAN. 17 

fiture as it receded. A certain fellow-passenger will never 
forget his impromptu salt-batli when he was enjoying a view 
of the boundless ocean from the bow of the vessel, nor will 
he perhaps forget the amusement he gave us all by his exag- 
gerated account of the billow that washed the deck. 

We had also a party of school-girls on board from an insti- 
tute near Boston, under the charge of Professor B. and 
wife, and they brought with them the pent-up fun of the last 
six months, and it evaporated during their voyage. Their 
girlish voices were often heard in the beautiful melodies of 
Sankey, and the captain invariably styled them the " Sweet 
Bye and Byes." One day, under the superintendence of Cap- 
tain H., a retired sea-captain, these young ladies hoisted 
a sail, while the crew stood back and watched the perform- 
ance. The song, to which their manual movement was an 
accompaniment, was something after this fashion : 



"Were you ever down in Baltimore ? 
Fire down below ! 
Dancing on the sandy shore ? 
Fire down below ! 

"Chorus. — I'll pull this time, 

But I'll pull no more ; 

Fire down below ! 
Pay me my money 
And I'll go ashore, 

Fire down below ! 

"Were you ever in Mobile Bay? 
Fire down below ! 
Picking cotton by the day ? 
Fire down below !" 

There were several more stanzas appertaining to other sea- 
ports of the United States, but as Captain H. was an im- 
provisatore, and varied his solos to suit himself, the two I have 
given are a fair sample of the rest. One evening the young 

2^ 



18 WE FOUR. 

ladies had a good romp in the way of playing " tag" ; but we 
do not think one of the gentlemen participants in it will con- 
sider "^a^" in the future as a very good after-dinner recrea- 
tion, as his sudden adjournment to the side of the yessel and 
his anxious gazing into the depths below testified to his un- 
easiness of soul. 

We had quite a treat one lovely summer afternoon. Most 
all the passengers were on deck, for sea-sickness had flapped 
its wings like a gull and flown away, but we were all in the 
dolce far niente mood, and lay basking in the glowing sun- 
light. The shuffle-board had lost its attractions for the gen- 
tlemen, and lounging by the side of the ladies seemed to have 
superseded it, when the treat I spoke of disturbed the seren- 
ity of the half-sleeping passengers. 

Here comes the cabin-boy, a veritable Ganymede, with a 
large salver covered with a white napkin, and on the snowy 
ground reposed molasses candy done up in packages, which 
packages were handed to the ladies with the captain's compli- 
ments. How we enjoyed it! — a change from the sugar-plums 
which we had brought from home, — and then to share with 
the gentlemen, and have the exquisite pleasure of seeing our 
neighbor as ourselves, with smeared lips and sticky fingers ! 

But we were now approaching Great Britain and entering 
into stratas of rain, — the distinguishing feature of an English 
climate, which gave to us another treat ; but this appealed to 
the eye, not to the taste, to the heart, and not to the stomach. 
It was a rainbow just at sunset, spanning the waters from 
horizon to horizon, — just such a bow as Noah must have seen 
over that lonely waste of waters, and the promise made to 
the patriarch seemed more impressive to us on this boundless 
ocean. We stood enwrapt before the magnificent spectacle ; 
hardly any one dared to break the silence by a word until 
Erato said, " I have been thinking of the legend which says 
' that a golden cup is at the bottom of the ocean, and some 



ON THE OCEAN. 19 

day tlie rainbow will draw it up. Whoever is fortunate enough 
to seize it at that precious moment insures the wealth of all 
this world for his own for the future/ and I was moralizing 
on the enigmatical construction of all those legends, that 
Orientalists only learned truths through the medium of the 
principal senses ; thought in itself was but an attendant to 
the eye." 

" Why not give us a poem on the rainbow, Erato ?" asked 
Clio, as the two girls stood in the stern of the vessel gazing 
at the arc above them. * 

" Yes, I shall, Clio, and consider it as dedicated to you for 
the happy thought. And yet, it seems so far beyond my 
reach, so vast, so infinite in grandeur, that my feeble thought 
cannot grasp it. But I will try, and angels can do no more," was 
added, sententiously. 

L'ARC-EN-CIEL. 

" ArcMng the world of waters with its tinted rays, 
Sweet symbol of the promise of the ancient days, 

We greet the glowing view, 
Reflecting from the sky to sea the mystic seven. 
Giving the sevenfold word to earth from heaven, 
Unchangeable and true. 

"No deluge e'er again shall overwhelm the world, 
God's flag of truce is in the sky unfurled, — 

"We greet the hallowed sight. 
The water waves the tinted signal back, 
A golden radiance lingers on its track 

Until it fades to white. 

" When sorrow's storms across our pathway roll. 
Affliction's tempests overwhelm the soul. 

With all their surging wrath. 
Across the troubled waters comes the bow. 
Heaven's own hallowed glory bending low, 

To show the holy path. 

" We thank thee, Father, for this sign of love, — 
Another link to bind our hearts above, 
A link in mercy given, — 



20 WE FOUR. 

And may the rainbow in its beauty form 
A promised arch across each earthly storm, 
A sacred bridge to heaven !" 

"There, Clio," said Erato, as slie handed the above in 
manuscript, " that is for you, as you kindly gave the sug- 
gestion." 

" Thanks, Erato." And very soon, like the " Plea for the 
Orphans," the little poem was jotted down in several note- 
books. May we all, who witnessed together that beauteous 
bow of promise, be among the ransomed ones who surround fhe 
great white throne upon which " he that sat was to look upon 
like a jasper and a sardine stone : and there was a rainbow 
round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald." 

One evening, the pedestrians of the deck (boulevards, as we 
termed it) were attracted by a group around the stairway 
leading to the officers' quarters. The centre of the group 
was the second mate, a man who had endeared himself to all 
the passengers by his kindly qualities of heart and manner. 
He was full of jokes and tricks, and was now entertaining his 
audience by sundry mathematical, scientifical, and simple 
puzzles, and with wondrous tales. 

" I can tell you how much money you have in your pocket, 
miss," he said to a young lady who was passing, leaning on 
the arm of her escort. 

" That will be very easily done, Mr. F.," she responded, 
laughing. 

" Ah, you have none, then ; but I want to show you that 
I can tell." So, looking around, he found a gentleman who 
became a willing victim to the officer's jokes. That poor man 
took his money from the pocket at his right side to that at 
his left, transported it to his coat-tail pockets, then to his 
vest pockets, then to his hat, first from one hand to the 
other, until, his patience being near exhausted and both 
hands full of small change, Mr. F. quietly informed him 



ON THE OCEAN. 21 

that " there was no money in his pockets." The relative 
merits of the English and American flags being np for dis- 
cussion, and the beauty of the latter being extolled by those 
who lived under it, " Your flag," said Mr. F. ; " why, it 
is made up of minus marks ; nothing but subtraction, while 
the English contains the two signs of plus, which mean 
increase and multiply." 

" But," answered Clio, " you must remember that we did 
one very grand example in subtraction when we subtracted 
our nation from Grreat Britain, so our flag bears minus marks 
in honor of our victory. What became of your plus marks 
then ?" But a dead silence fell on all after this query, and it 
remains unanswered to this day. 

" The sails we see on the ocean 
Are as tohite as white can be ; 
But the sails we see in the harbor 
Are never as white as at sea." 

So recited Clio, leaning over the railing of the vessel 
watching those snowy birds of passage coming to us, those 
carrier-birds on the ocean of hopes and fears, loves and hates, 
wealth and poverty ; on they come, birds of art, specimens 
of man's skill, yet none the less under God's care, as the 
little sparrow which " shall not fall on the ground without 
your Father." We landsfolks soon learned to detect the call- 
ing of those different vessels which we met on our route, and 
we were much interested in the mode of telegraphy adopted 
on sea, by which communications can be held. With most of 
those which we met the signals were perfectly correct, and it 
seemed sad after an introduction to see the vessel sailing off 
on the far ocean, never to cross otir paths, at least, again. 
One brig was very desirous of imparting some information ; 
anyhow, she put on an appearance of anxiety, for her signals 
were incorrect or unreadable, and she, too, sailed away from us 
enveloped in mystery. 



22 WE FOUR. 

Men of business often use the misnomer curiosity for tlie 
interest tliat women take in that which appears to their more 
absorbed minds as the petty affairs of life, never thinking 
that the monotonous round of home-duties would wear upon 
the wife's spirits were it not for the outlet her feelings can 
have in sympathy and interest in her neighbors. It is true, 
it may descend into prying and scandal-monging, but it is 
not the want of occupation that makes the gossip, but the 
want of education^ which would give the mind a new direc- 
tion and the talents a new field. Even these very men of 
business, of whom we spoke, were attracted by the petty 
items of life on shipboard. Without the daily paper to 
read, he must look around for something fresh with which to 
regale himself; novels could not take the place of the morn- 
ing press. How well-thumbed became the London papers, 
the great treat of the Channel pilots, to us poor travellers, 
who had watched the log every day and carefully noted in 
our tiny books — latitude and longitude — how many miles we 
had gone and the state of the weather ! But one day we 
had to record the death of a horse ; with what interest many 
of the passengers watched the ascension of the carcass from 
its late stall to be descended to one in the mermaids' stables ! 
And we gazed at the animal as it floated away as if we be- 
lieved in the immortality of the brute creation, and some 
day, perchance, we might see it again. Ah ! it was only one 
of the few breaks in the monotony of sea-life. While the 
horse gave food to the fishes it also afforded a topic for con- 
versation, that of ship funerals. One sad incident was told 
of a wealthy Irishman returning to his native land, there to 
breathe his last sigh and lay his bones among his own people. 
Within two hundred miles of the Irish coast his spirit de- 
parted, and the remains, instead of lying beneath the sods of 
the Emerald Isle, found their home within the green depths 
of the ocean. 



ON THE OCEAN. 23 

We, too, are nearing land, and in every heart rises the 
feeling of anxiety ; so near the goal, will we reach it in 
safety? Have we crossed the ocean, with not a sail often 
in sight, to be lost with the very land-breezes blowing 
upon ns? God only knows, and we are not beyond His 
knowledge. 

" Erato, when are we to see the sun rise ?" 

" Let us endeavor to rise to-morrow morning betimes." 

For our wanting to see the sun rise had become a standing- 
joke with our two compatriots, as we had made resolves every 
night only to be broken the next morning and we not out of 
our berths when the first bell rung. We had an idea, and 
we found it substantiated, that the deck was a very sloppy 
concern early in the morning. 

" Why do you wake us up so early with such a noise over 
heads ?" Pomona inquired of a sailor. 

" We're 'oly-stonen the deck, ma'am," was the reply. 

" I am sure we can dispense with your ' 'oly stone,' if it is 
always so disturbing." 

A merry twinkle was in his eye as he answered, " I think 
the passengers bought to complain." 

" Oh, no ; we can submit to regulations if they are neces- 
sary." But as we moved off we saw the man's countenance 
change as he found how ineffectual was his manoeuvre to 
have a stop put to " 'oly-stonen" the deck. 

" What kind of a morning is it, Artemis ? for I do not feel 
like getting up." 

" Cloudy," was the reply from her point of observation, — 
the upper berth, by the port-hole. " The sun will rise sulky. 
What's that man stamping for above us ?" 

"That's our signal, I suppose, from Mr. F. But he may 
stamp his boots off, shall he not, Clio, before we get up so 
early this dull morning?" 

" Yes ; if there's no gorgeous sunrise, what's the use of 



24 WE FOUR 

getting up at three o'clock in the morning? That signal has 
given me the headache." 

" She cometh not, he said : 
And then below he went, to bed." 

{Slightly altered from Tennyson.) 

" I waited for you," said Mr. F., " for I had coffee made 
expressly for you." 

" Ah, that's too bad !" we cried, in one breath. " And was 
that you stamping so furiously?" 

" Yes ; did I wake you ?" 

" No, we were awake before ; but the other passengers, 
whom you did wake, blessed you softly before closing their 
eyes to sleep again." 

" Shall I knock, then, to-morrow morning?" 

" No, sir ; if you call that noise knocking we will hear no 
more of it. Why, you'll have everybody on deck at that 
rate ; we will wake in time." 

Yes, we did wake in time, and with comfortable wraps 
stole quietly to the deck. The cleaning had not yet begun. 
The watch were still at their posts. Intently the man at 
the lookout was gazing far into the gray horizon. We, at 
our station to the larboard, — and anxiously, too, — gazed into 
that misty horizon. Cloudland formed itself into many shapes 
as we watched ; at length it became a long stretch of wood- 
land on a slight eminence ; from it the land sloped to the 
water's edge. Beyond this woodland a delicate pink hue was 
suffusing the landscape ; surely that was the herald of the 
morning sun. Yes, rising from that roseate bed, encircled 
by a halo of glory, he comes, — the King of Day. We had 
witnessed sunrise on the ocean. But there was no coffee for 
us this time ; so, chilly and sleepy, we crept down to our 
Btate-room. How glad we will be when once again on terra 
firma I Poor Pomona !• no sleep visited her eyelids ; even 



ON THE OCEAN. 25 

opiates had not the desired effect. How could she sleep 
when she felt, every night, like a clock must feel — if clocks 
could give expression to their sensations — while being wound 
up. Did not that propeller screw itself into her spine as if 
she was a piece of mechanism, to be manipulated according 
to theory ? Did not the rotary and oscillatory motions in 
that state-room far exceed any manifestations that could be 
given at a spiritual seance ? Did not one watch one's feet 
soaring far above the horizontal plane upon which one is 
supposed to be lying, and feel conscious that a rush of blood 
to the head must certainly be the consequence ? Did we 
not have a hearty laugh at Artemis and Pomona, pirouetting 
in the latest fashionable glide on our cabin floor ? and when 
they gave us the old style, "forward two, and back to places," 
in measured time to the music of the machinery, we con- 
cluded to put a " slimgle^ out of our state-room door : ^'■Dan- 
cing taught here in all its branches ^ 

But the cry of " Land ! land !" resounds from the upper 
berth, and Monday morning, July 1, is memorable for giving 
us our first view of the shores of Old England. Centuries 
ao;o there had been woods and meadows and arable lands 
between what is known now as the Scilly Islands and the 
coast, but the ruthless ocean gradually submerged the verd- 
ure-covered ground, and the submarine forests of this tract 
show a subsidence of at least twelve feet. And on still comes 
the devastating water. At Cornwall, upon which we are now 
looking, the workings of the tin mines are on the very verge 
of the cliff, and the dashing of the waves is heard by the 
miner at his work. Here the antiquary has a wide field of 
research, Druidical stones, ruins of baronial castles, claim 
his attention ; here the mineralogist studies silver, lead, zinc, 
iron, tin, manganese, cobalt, bismuth, and antimony ; and here 
the historian traces the discovery of the mines by the Phce- 
nicians, the manners of the ancient Britons, the results of 
B 3 



26 WE FOUR. 

the Saxon and Norman invasions, down to tlie fiict tliat the 
Prince of Wales is also the Duke of Cornwall. The solemn 
minster in that royal duchy has seen generations rise and 
fall, and the bones in that old graveyard are mingled with 
its dust. 

" Pomona, you will never get dressed in time for breakfast 
if you stand admiring scenery much longer." 

" But just look, Artemis, is not that exquisite? This port- 
hole reminds me of a large stereoscope, through which one 
sees revolving landscapes." 

" Descend from your flights of fancy, for there's the second 
bell." 

Breakfast, indeed, with England before ns, — England, with 
its history, its poetry, its religion, its memories! Once more, 
before I die, may I see thy shores again, Albion, our 
mother ! 

Out again to sea, for the shores are receding from our 
sight, and watching for the dim line of coast filled in the 
long summer day, and it was near sunset before we hailed 
the Isle of Wight. The western horizon was one blaze of 
glory ; the yellow glow in which the Sun God had been 
arrayed was thrown aside for the purple robe of royalty. 
The throne was the dark ocean ; the crown was still the 
massive gold of the morning, but around was the scarlet 
and purple and fine linen of his majesty. The gray mists 
of night were gathering in the eastern horizon like a horde 
of robbers on the pathway of the silvery moon, gliding along 
in her regal lonely beauty. Now we are approaching the 
Needles, the long, chalky, curious formation that bear the 
name. St. Catherine's Hill is pointed out to us, being eight 
hundred and thirty feet above the level of the sea, and many 
a benighted mariner has blessed the beacon-light that shone 
on him from St. Catherine's Hill. The Isle of Wight is 
a miniature edition of every variety of landscape, and the 



ON THE OCEAN. 27 

sovereign of England could find no more beautiful spot in 
which to spend the long summer days than this, circum- 
scribed, as she is, to the limits of her own dominion. Pass- 
ing the Bay of Southampton, where a little vessel is moored 
in safety for the night, like a panorama before us, we see the 
lights in the villaoje of Yentnor. 

A young lady had inquired of a gentleman standing near 
her whether our vessel would approach near enough to the 
Isle of Wight to see it. 

" Oh, yes," he answered, " you will be able to see it dis- 
tinctly, Ventnor is plainly discernible, but I doubt if Cowes 
is within our range of vision." 

" Cows ! I did not expect to be near enough to see cows," 
was the reply, given in a puzzled tone of voice. 

The gentleman was too polite to show his amusement, but 
as he attempted to explain, the lady's geographical knowledge 
had returned by one of those sinuous routes that form the 
road to learning, and she enabled her partner to enjoy his 
laugh by participating in it. She declared she " should 
never in the future see cows without thinking of Cowes." 

It was there that Charles I. was imprisoned before he was 
given up to Cromwell, his persecutor. 

But the awful mist is gathering around us ; thicker and 
thicker it grows, and now and then we hear the warning 
voice of the fog-signal. No passengers are allowed on deck ; 
but we listen anxiously at the steady tread of the quarter- 
master, the calm tones of the captain, the nervous voices of 
the younger officers, and the gruffer tones of the elder. Shall 
it be that we may be obliged to use those guns whose prep- 
aration amused us so much this afternoon, joking about danger 
from the Bussian fleet, when, perhaps, the danger was from 
the very elements that surround us, and our merriment end 
in sorrow ? Suddenly the vessel stopped. Many voices in- 
quired, ^^ What's the matter f Clio and Erato started to 



28 WE FOUR. 

investigate, and seized upon their own particular waiter at 
the table, a dark-haired, good-looking youth. 

" William, what's the trouble ? why is the vessel stopped ?" 
" Beg pardon, mum, but the vessel hain't stopped." 
" Why, it is, William. We demand the reason." 
He looked steadily at the two ladies with those brown eyes 
of his, — two ladies in dressing-gowns and slippers, with their 
back hair floating in Indian fashion, and their front hair in 
crimps, certainly did not come out there in dishabille to be 
trifled with. 

" Well, mum, you wouldn't 'ave hus run hinto hanother 
vessel ?" 

" No, certainly not ; is that what we've been doing ?" 
" Yes, mum." And off he rushed to attend to those inva- 
lids who need unmitigated draughts of brandy and water. 

However, he had told us the truth. An answering fog- 
signal was heard off of our bow, and on stopping oar engine, 
although going at a snail's speed, it was discovered that we 
had been very near running down a Grerman steamer. How 
does one's cheeks blanch with terrror at the thought of the 
" might have heeri'' I 

The morning dawned in loveliness ; the sun dispelled the 
fogs of the night ; the German vessel was safe at a distance ; 
all was cheery ; and with light hearts we seated ourselves on 
the bulwarks to watch the coast of England, to us a new 
country. We passed Folkestone with its bath-house and it? 
large factories, with the black smoke belching from the chim- 
neys. But now the chalk cliffs rise before us from which the 
" tight little island" derives the name Albion. , We are near- 
ing Dover. That old castle, whose antiquity is coeval with 
the invasion of the Romans, stands three hundred and fifty 
feet above the water, and occupies a space of thirty-five acres. 
It is still used as barracks, for its spacious keep forms a 
bomb-proof magazine which enables Dover Castle to rank 



ON THE OCEAN. 29 

still as a fortification. We watched a train of cars passing 
along the beach under the white cliffs ; they disappeared in 
the dark depths of the rocks, and as suddenly emerged into 
the sunlight again from the mouth of the short tunnel. A 
steamboat, whose deck was full of excursionists, was just 
leaving the pier, and the regular packets between England 
and France were ploughing their way over this cross-sea to 
Calais, which we could just discern to the south of us. One 
of our passengers. Professor Charles Whitney, of whose reci- 
tations I have already spoken, and who had been making the 
part of King Lear in Shakspeare's play of that name an 
especial study, quoted the passages from the scene near Do- 
ver, so familiar to the student of Shakspeare. But, while 
thinking of Edgar wandering on those precipitous peaks, we 
had glided on to the town of Diehl, thus seeing the famous 
country-seat of the Duke of Wellington (^Walmer Castle). 
Out again to sea, we are leaving with a sigh the summer re- 
sorts of Ramsay, Broadstairs, and Margate scarcely seen. 
They tell us most beautiful shells can be gathered there, but 
inexorable destiny carries us on to London, not to gather 
shells. 

At Thames Haven we landed the cattle. Splendid steers 
they were, good American beef for the English market. The 
horses — the death of one being recorded in these notes — 
were intended for the London tramway, as yet a species of 
conveyance only seen south of the Thames Biver, the north- 
ern section being content with the old-time omnibuses and 
their disagreeable motion and still more disagreeable noise. 
It was a difficult undertaking to make the first animal step 
on the gangway ; but when the scent of the green fields 
came to his nostrils, it needed no goading to throw its head 
into the air and snuff in the redolent hay. As we waited for 
the departure of these dumb passengers of ours, we saw a 
skylark winging its way to the azure fields above, and its 

3^ 



30 WE FOUR. 

song came sweetly to our ears, and the red-tiled roof cottages 
and the thatched barns brought to my mind a painting in oil 
I had seen in a gallery at home, — " An English Landscape" 
it was called. Could the artist have stood where I was stand- 
ing then, he could not have made his sketch more accurate 
of this view of Thames Haven. On account of the tide we 
were obliged to land at Gravesend and take the cars for Lon- 
don. Opposite to us was Tilbury, and there still stood the 
fort from which, some two hundred years ago. Queen Eliza- 
beth reviewed her troops in that famed Spanish Peninsula 
War. As we embarked on the tender that was to take us to 
shore, we bade good-by to our noble vessel, gave three cheers 
to the captain and officers, sang the chorus of the famous sea 
song of our voyage, and set our eyes like Dick Whittington 
did, steadily to the great metropolis of the world. 



PART SECOND. 

LONDON. 

"London is a goodley city." 

Old Chronicles. 

"We had often read and heard of the cottages of England, 
of the culture of the flowers and the taste displayed in out- 
door arrangements, and so we were charmed with the vine- 
covered porches of the rural homesteads, the bright glow of 
the poppies along the hedges, and the well-cultivated fields, 
as we took our first ride on an English railway. It may be 
a national prejudice, but we could not learn to like the ar- 
rangement of the cars. Two small windows in a conveyance 
calculated to hold ten persons does not give air enough to 
an American, nor can we believe it conducive to the health 
of an Englishman. To ride with one's back to the engine 
may prevent one from being annoyed by dust or smoke, but 
as it generally produced on Erato a spell of sick headache, 
she was in a nervous trepidation whenever she entered a car, 
lest the calamity of being obliged to ride backwards should 
overtake her. One of the pleasant impressions made upon us 
at first was the long twilight. It seemed to us as if there was 
no night there, for the lingering rays of the sunset shook hands 
over a gray chasm with the first gleams of the sunrise. It 
was still the gloaming then, although nine o'clock, when ive 
four first saw London, and then only so much as one can see 
through cab-windows. Travellers have told us that their first 
idea of that great city was of its solidity ; but with us its 
dinginess was the most impressive, and the feeling became an 



32 WE FOUR. • 

incubus the longer we remained under tlie influence of those 
dark walls and heavy atmosphere. Our coachman was ordered 
to drive to the Portland House, in that heavy, respectable 
portion of the city known as West End. It was quite a 
handsome hotel, in the broadest street in London, Portland 
Place being one hundred and twenty-six feet wide from 
house to house. Artemis and Erato alighted to reconnoitre, 
armed with references and credentials, if, peradventure, there 
were stringent rules in reference to the admittance of women 
to hotels at night, for even though the sun was lingering in 
the west, it was verging on to the dark hours. The girls en- 
tered, and were astonished at being met at the office-window 
by a lady (?), which fact appeared very strange to our 
American eyes, but before we were half over Great Britain 
it became a matter of course ; but we doubt very much 
whether the so-called independence of American women 
carries them quite as far into public notice as our sisterhood 
on the other side of the water have been borne with their 
apparent reserve. The natural delicacy of the American 
lady often receives a shock from actions of Europeans of her 
own sex and station, and yet we four were objects of sur- 
prise simply because we had travelled without the guardian- 
ship of a gentleman. And here let me have a little quiet 
talk to my sisters, hoping my brothers will be kind enough 
not to listen. Please forego all hankering after the ballot ; 
be content with your own position in America, for in no other 
country will you find it so well assured. In no other country 
but America do women receive the courtesy that their sex 
requires. I do not mean to imply that in our travels we met 
with any insult whatever, but the deference and respect to 
which we had been accustomed was lacking, excepting from 
those to whom we had received introductions, and casual at- 
tentions were only given by gentlemen travellers from our 
own country. The name American is a password in Europe, 



. IN LONDON. 33 

and was like a Masonic signal among travellers. Let us then^ 
be careful, my sisters, lest in grasping more privileges we lose 
those wliicli we now possess. But to return to the lady (?) 
clerk of the Portland House. 

" Can you accommodate four ladies here ?" 

" No ; we're full," was the rejoinder, in a surly tone, with 
an equally surly expression of countenance. 

" The steamship Canada is just in, and a party of the passen- 
gers have been recommended here by Mr. M., of Philadel- 
phia, who has lodged here previous summers. More will be 
along shortly." The cards and references were here displayed. 

" We're full, and I don't know Mr. M.," was reiterated in 
the same monotonous English voice. 

" No accommodations whatever ?" was uttered, in a fright- 
ened tone by both ladies. 

" Oh, yes ; we've one bedroom and sitting-room adjoining, 
suitable for two ladies." 

" We could make that answer for four for one night. What 
are your terms ?" 

" Fifteen shillings.' 

" Fifteen shillings for what?" 

" Lodging for one person one night." 

Here we went into a problem of mental arithmetic. Fif- 
teen shillings for one meant fifteen dollars for four, without 
a mouthful to eat. Supper and breakfast must then be pro- 
portionally large in expense. That would never do. 

" Can you direct us to the American House ?" 

" Never 'eard of hit," was the response. ** 

" I know it is in the vicinity of the Langham Hotel." fs 

" Don't know the Langham 'Otel, but hall haround 'ere 
har full." 

A parting shaft had to be given. " It is very strange you 
do not know the Langham Hotel, — one of the handsomest in 
London, and in Portland Place also. Grood-evening, madam." 



34 WE FOUR. 

Returning to tlie cab, the question was asked the driver as 
to the whereabouts of the American House. He did not 
know, but as the Langham Hotel was familiar to him, we 
gave directions to be driven thither. 

" Ladies, let me take you to a private boarding-house; the 
Langham may be full." 

" Can you assure us of its respectability, and is it far?" 

" Yes, ma'am, 'ighly respectable, and honly hon Brunswick 
Square." 

We thought it needless to acquaint him with the fact that 
so far as our knowledge was concerned Brunswick Square was 
named after the Duke of Brunswick, but its locality was myth- 
ical, so we told him to_%ive us there, and we remarked sotto 
voce that we should judge of its respectability for ourselves. 

In the West End of London there are many beautiful 
squares enclosed by iron railings, where trees give a de- 
lightful shade, and flowers a pleasant fragrance, and fountains 
a refreshing coolness ; the keys to which paradise are in the 
possession of the surrounding residents, and the beauty only 
enjoyable by them, excepting so far as the view refreshes the 
weary pedestrian. Around these squares are blocks of well- 
to-do-looking houses ; a grim respecfability overshadows them ; 
the stone steps are miracles of whiteness even to our eyes, 
residents as we are of immaculate Philadelphia. A touch- 
me-not air pervades them even to the brass knocker on the 
ponderous door, and the only encouraging sign on their grim 
fronts was now and then a lamp over the front entrance, 
which betokened said house to be a " private hotel." To 
one of these we went, and thanking the cabman for his recom- 
mendation, not only by words but in the current coin of his 
country, we took up our abode at No. 15 Brunswick Square. 
Pomona wanted quiet ; for two weeks the material spirit of 
the vessel had disturbed her repose and driven away nature's 
sweet restorer — sleep. Could she find it here ? Yes ; a back- 



IN LONDON. 35 

room was at her disposal where naught would disturb lier and 
make her afraid, and for the two weeks we remained there 
we realized to the fullest extent the meaning of " quietness.^' 
Away from the din of the busy mart, the sombreness of this 
very respectable neighborhood was felt as much inside of the 
brick walls as without. No household noises broke the still- 
ness of the mansion ; no voice was raised above that graveyard 
pitch common to the English ; no merry laughter resounded 
up the stairway, nor did the decorous housemaid even break a 
plate to jar the methodical tenor of the domestic arrangements. 
The four American ladies brought in life from the Western 
world, and, I am obliged to add, paid a very good price for 
the privilege. We received our quietness and dulness at ex- 
pensive rates. The first day after our arrival in the great 
London was spent in reconnoitring, visiting the shipping 
office at 33 Grrace Church Street, and Brown, Shipley & Co., 
bankers, Founder's Court, Lothbury. Their handsome office 
was just back of the Bank of England, and consequently the 
" Old Lady of Threadneedle Street" is riveted on our memo- 
ries never to be effaced. She is an immense old lady, taking 
up in dimensions a space sufficient for her feet, of about four 
acres, and is blind (windoioless) to the busy world about her. 
For here congregate the business community ; the omnibuses 
roll from here to nearly every part of London ; hansoms and 
four-wheelers put your life in jeopardy, and were it not for 
the helmeted, white-gloved, stalwart police one could not cross 
either Princes Street, Threadneedle Street, Cornhill, Lom- 
bard Street, and King William Street, which here diverge. 
The bank employs nine hundred persons ; its management 
is intrusted to a governor, deputy-governor, and twenty-four 
directors, eight of whom have to be voted for every year. 
The owners of stock to the value of five hundred pounds vote 
for the directors. The governor must have stock to the extent 
of four thousand pounds, the deputy-governor, three thou- 



36 WE FOUR. 

sand pounds, and a director two thousand pounds. The sum 
paid in salaries is about two hundred and ten thousand pounds 
a year. Within the walls is a fine garden to rest the busy 
eye, and a splendid library relieves the busy ear. A very 
large amount of bullion is kept in its vaults, and they have 
some delicate apparatus for weighing gold and silver. Mr. 
W. Cotton's machine is employed in the weighing office to 
detect light gold coin, and so ingenious is its mechanism and 
so quick in operation that thirty-five thousand may be weighed 
in a day. The bank-note printing-machine is the invention 
of a father and son by the name of Oldham, and its opera- 
tion is well worth seeing. The paper is of peculiar make, 
the texture and water-marking almost beyond imitation. 
Each half of a note is numbered alike, and as the printing 
proceeds the machine alters the number in readiness for the 
next note. A note returned is immediately cancelled, conse- 
quently new notes are continually issuing. 

Near the Bank of England stands the Royal Exchange, 
which is the third building of that name erected on that site. 
The first belonged to Sir Thomas Gresham, and was given by 
him, during the reign of good Queen Bess, to his fellow-mer- 
chants. His motto has been placed over the centre arch on 
the north side — " Fortun a my," — and his arms over the cor- 
responding arch on the south side. The city's arms and 
motto, " Domine dirigo nos,^^ and the Mercers' Company's 
arms and motto, " Honor i)eo," adorn the other arches. These 
arms are repeated on the entablature at the east end of the 
building, which was designed by Sir W. Tite, and opened in 
October, 1844 ; the second edifice having been destroyed by 
fire in 1838. In front of the great portico is a bronze eques- 
trian statue of Wellington on a granite pedestal, and near is 
a fountain ; its design is a female figure in bronze pouring 
water from a vase into a granite basin. A tall tower on the 
east side of the building carries a clock surmounted by a 



IN LONDON. St 

great gilt grasshopper, the device of Sir Thomas Gresham. 
Passing through the great portico we reach an open area 
surrounded by a spacious arcade, whose roof and walls are 
painted in fresco. Coats of arms with arabesque designs are 
here given in lively colors. In the middle of the area stands 
a marble statue of the present queen, and in the eastern cor- 
ners are statues of Queen Elizabeth and Charles II. The 
chief days on 'Change are Tuesdays and Fridays, and the 
busy hour from half-past three to half-past four. The third 
building which occupies this city-space is the Mansion House, 
the residence of the lord mayor during his year of office. 
It has a Corinthian portico, with six fluted columns and a 
pediment of allegorical sculpture. This memorable day, the 
3d of July, we were initiated into the vagaries of an English 
climate by receiving a baptism of rain, very unexpectedly, 
too, as the sun had been shining benignly upon us, as be- 
nignly as a sun doth shine when its way is obstructed by high 
buildings and its course contracted by narrow streets. We 
wished to find a Ladies' Restaurant, but those accommodating 
places are so " few and far between" that, with this shower 
coming down upon us like one broad sheet of water, we 
concluded to take a four-wheeler and return to our head- 
quarters, and there draw up a plan for future peregrinations. 
The result of that committee-meeting was a decision to take 
the Tower of London for a Fourth of July excursion. We 
knew the " world and his wife" would be out at the Crystal 
Palace, for the display of fire-works given there is always very 
fine, but feeling our ignorance yet of London habits, and 
wearing still the garb of strangeness, we concluded not to 
trust ourselves yet where crowds do surge, but move cau- 
tiously to our sight-seeing. The first object of interest to us 
was " The Monument" on Fish Street Hill, erected by Wren, 
at a cost of fourteen thousand pounds, to commemorate the 
scene of the great fire. St. Margaret's Church once stood 



38 WE FOUR. 

where this fluted Doric cokimn of Portland stone towers 
two hundred and two feet into the air. It contains a wind- 
ing staircase of three hundred and forty-five feet, but we 
were not yet strong enough nor willing enough for the ascent, 
so we contented ourselves with viewing London at its base, 
and contrasting, as best we could, the old with the new. But 
the Tower of London ! Sacred to the memory of Baliol and 
Bruce, kings of Scotland, William Wallace, Sir Thomas 
More, Latimer, Cranmer, and Ridley, Sir Walter Baleigh, 
Lord Bacon, Archbishop Laud, Jeremy Taylor, Villiers, 
second Duke of Buckingham, Lady Jane Grey, Anne Bo- 
leyn, and others whose histories are equally as sad. The 
ground on which the Tower stands is an irregular square, 
measuring about thirteen acres. A moat surrounds the bat- 
tlemented wall, but is now drained of its waters. In the 
middle of the enclosed space is the great square White Tower, 
the keep of the old fortress. Before entering the enclosure 
we were besieged by men, women, and children, selling guide- 
books of the Tower and views of London, We had been in- 
formed that the best accounts were in books in the inside, but 
to be rid of importunity two were purchased from the street- 
venders, which afterwards proved to be the better, as those sold 
at the office did not contain as much interesting matter. We 
were very much amused at one woman scowling at a man and 
saying in her broad dialect, which I cannot write, " Taking 
the bread out of an honest woman's mouth ; here's me, a 
widder with five little children, trying to make an honest 
penny by selling these little picters, and that big, strong man 
coming round here getting my customers." This was said 
partly for the benefit of Erato, who had purchased " Twelve 
views for a penny" from the big, strong man aforesaid. " But, 
my good woman," apologized Erato, " it is much more diffi- 
cult for a man to obtain work than a woman ; there are so 
many things that a woman can turn her hand to which a man 



IN LONDON. 39 

cannot. I think selling on the streets is a better occupation 
for him than for you." 

But to pacify the outraged feelings of the " widder with 
five children," two more books of views were purchased at 
the enormous price of a penny apiece. In the ofiice of the 
Tower, tickets are obtained, and as soon as a party of twelve 
are assembled they are placed under the guardianship of a 
warder attired in the garb of the yeoman of the guard of 
Henry YIII.'s time. We were assigned to an old man who 
spoke such a strange tongue that it was quite an effort to 
understand him, and we have not as yet been able to assign 
him a nationality. Our party consisted of an English gen- 
tleman and his two little boys, three ladies and a gentleman 
(German), one Frenchman, and we four Americans. 

Pointing up to the Bell Tower, our guide informed us that 
one window marked the room in which the Princess Eliza- 
beth was confined by order of Queen Mary. Passing under 
the Middle Tower, where our attention was drawn to the solid 
masonry of those feudal times, we arrived at Traitor's Gate, 
a square building erected over the moat. Persons charged 
with high treason were brought by this way secretly at night 
into the gloomy Tower, never again to return. Did the 
sweet blossom of hope die within the souls of Sidney, Bus- 
sell, Cranmer, More, Baleigh, or Buckingham when, in the 
midnight, they were landed here ? One at least, however, 
combined his trials with the Christian graces, for in the 
Bloody Tower, Sir Walter Baleigh wrote his " History of the 
World," received visits from Ben Jonson, and imparted his 
knowledge to the young Prince Henry ; here his son Carew 
was born, and although after twelve years' imprisonment, 
Baleigh was released, it was only to breathe for a short time 
the blessed air of liberty, only to realize one cannot " put his 
trust in princes," and then to return again to a dark cell in 
the White Tower, from which he was taken — to the block. 



40 WE FOUR 

On the stone wall at the entrance of the low doorway of his 
dung, -^on are inscriptions which we thought were traced by 
Raleigh, but have since learned were the work of Lords 
Fane, Culpepper, and Rudston, who were implicated in Sir 
Thomas Wyatt's Rebellion in 1553. 

It was too gloomy for us to decipher them, but by the aid 
of the guide-book we have them correctly, viz. : 

" He that indvretli to tlie ende shall be saved." 

M. 10. R. Eydson. Kent. Ano. 1553, 

" Be faithful vnto the deth and I will give the a crowne of life." 

T. Fiine 1554. 

Opposite the Traitor's Grate is the Bloody Tower, where it 
is said the young princes were smothered ; but before ascend- 
ing the narrow stairway leading to the Chapel of St. John, in 
the White Tower, we were shown the spot at the foot where the 
bones, supposed to be those of the murdered boys, were found, 
and which by the order of Charles II. were removed to West- 
minster Abbey. The chapel is built in the Norman style. It 
has an arched roof and twelve massive round columns, with 
arches supporting a gallery. The warder handed the ladies' 
chairs, and here we sat where royalty had knelt to worship. 
There is nothing now but the plain room : all church furni 
ture had been removed. On the death of Queen Elizabeth, 
after she was laid here in state for several days, the chapel 
was closed, and only reopened in 1851, at the time that Eng- 
land inaugurated great exhibitions by building the Crystal 
Palace. This room occupies the second floor of the White 
Tower, which was originally built in the time of William the 
Conqueror. The external walls are from ten to twelve feet 
thick. On the third floor is the apartment used as the Coun- 
cil Chamber of the early kings ; it has a dark, massive tim- 
ber roof, and a strange solemnity hovers over it. In the 
galleries at the sides were stationed the yeomen, and if one 
nobleman dared to dispute the mandate of the king, the 



IN LONDON. 41 

signal was given, and tlie rebel paid for his temerity with his 
blood. This apartment is now used as the London Armory, 
and the stacks of muskets showed a marked improvement to 
the style of war utensils on the first floor in Queen Eliza- 
beth's Armory. There we saw spears, lances, glaves, pole- 
axes, bills, pikes, halberds, bucklers, ancient shot, — chain-, 
bar-, link- ; curious specimens of ancient firearms, match- 
locks, wheel-locks ; two yew bows, which lay under water in 
the wreck of the Mary Rose, Henry YIII.'s ship, for three 
hundred years (outside of the Horse Armory lies an iron 
gun which had kept company with the bows the same length 
of time). We also saw the ancient instruments of torture 
and punishment, — an iron collar taken from the Spaniards in 
1588, the Scavenger's Daughter, and thumb-screws of the In- 
quisition. The warder wished me to try the latter, but with 
thanks I declined ; one gentleman of the party had the cour- 
age to place his head upon the heading-block, upon which # 
the Lords Lovat, Kilmarnock, and Balmarino, in 1746, had 
been decapitated ; but even that simple act, unattended with 
any dreadful results, caused a shudder to run through our 
little circle. The warder raised the heading-axe, which tra- 
dition says was used by the executioner of the Earl of Essex. 
We could hardly help turning to look at the figure of Queen 
Elizabeth at the end of this apartment, — a figure on horse- 
back, dressed in a costume exactly like the attire worn by the 
queen, when she proceeded in state to St. Paul's Cathedral to 
return thanks for the escape of England from the threatened 
invasion of Spain. She is attended by the " Archer of the 
Guard" and a page. Has not all the jealousy and pride and 
caprice which embittered her earthly life faded into nothing- 
ness before the nobler realities of a heavenly one ? I men- 
tioned one '•'■ infernal instrument'^ called the Scavenger's 
Daughter. Our guide-book thinks the better nomenclature 

would be " The DeviVs Masterpiece^^'' as its object was to 

4-x- 



42 WE FOUR. 

confine the whole of the body, compressing the limbs in a 
space incredibly small, so as to extort confession from per- 
haps an innocent victim. At the south of the White Tower 
is the Horse Armory, and is filled with specimens of ancient 
armor, arranged by the late Sir Samuel Meyrick. In some 
instances they are original suits, such as the two worn by 
Henry VIII., — one in the English style, the other of a cu- 
rious German make, presented by the Emperor Maximilian 
to " King Harry" on his marriage with Catherine of Arra- 
gon. Also the armor worn by Robert Dudley, Earl of Lei- 
cester, one of Queen Elizabeth's favorites, and that of Prince 
Charles when twelve years of age, before he became the 
Charles I. of the tragic history, and James II. 's own suit. 
While we were standing before the figure of the " burly 
monarch," which the warder told us was a fac-simile of the 
man himself at the time he was thinking of divorcing Cath- 
erine, the guide called the two little boys of whom mention 
has been made and requested that they should stand near 
him while he gave them valuable information. " Children," 
said he, " in the early part of the reign of Henry VIII. an 
Ecumenical Council was convened for the consideration of 
the propriety of granting to the royal sovereign a divorce 
from the then reigning queen." A burst of laughter from 
the adults at the look of wonderment on the countenances of 
the lads at this historical instruction, was answered only by a 
merry twinkle in the eyes of the ancient man as he led us 
forth again to gaze upon another relic of the Tower, of whose 
contents my brain can scarcely recall the one-tenth. Our next 
visit was to the Beauchamp Tower, but, according to system- 
atic arrangement, our party must wait until the twelve before 
us had finished their survey. We occupied the time in ex- 
amining the curious cannon of various ages lying south of 
the White Tower ; also the " Green beside the Chapel within 
the Tower," on which spot history gives the record of the 



IN LONDON. 43 

execution of three women and two men. The warder thought 
that Anne Boleyn was one, so we asked him if he did not 
think that Catherine Howard and Lady Jane G-rey were the 
others, and the Earl of Surrey and Lord Guilford Dudley 
the men. " It mought be," he answered, " but I'm not sure." 

" Now, leddies," says he, " you've gone through two-thirds 
of your punishment; can ye stand the rest?" 

Erato replied, " The two-thirds were as nothing to us 
Americans ! we can easily bear the remainder." 

" And Americans have never been known to give up," 
chimed in Clio, in her most " Declaration-of-Independence" 
tone. 

" This is Fourth of July," Clio continued, to the discom- 
fiture of the beef-eater, who had complimented us only a few 
minutes before on our exceedingly good English speech. 

" Ye don't say '"yaio-yaw^ like most Americans do," he had 
remarked. 

" Oh, those are what we call Yankees, who speak in that 
manner," was our reply. 

But, making our peace by sharing with him our cherries, 
we entered the Beauchamp Tower. It derived its name from 
Thomas de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, who was impris- 
oned there in 1397 previous to his banishment to the Isle of 
Man. It contains three apartments, one above the other, 
and numerous cells. The lower room is partly underground, 
thus becoming a dungeon. This tower is more deeply inter- 
esting from the fact of its walls being memorialized by in- 
scriptions, devices, coats of arms, and names of the prisoners 
who by this occupation beguiled the tedium of years. Those 
which were more familiar to us from historic records are 
" Uobart Dudley',' " Marmaduke Neville, 1569." After a 
Latin inscription, we read the name " Arundell, June 22, 
1587." On the left of the window-jamb of the upper 
room is a rebus, consisting of the name Thomas, under which 



44 WE FOUR. 

is a bell with a capital A inscribed on it, thus reading Thomas 
Abel, domestic chaplain to Catherine of Arragon, who was 
burned at Smithfield for defending the cause of that most 
unfortunate queen. The carvings, []^ff^[E c=0 IJ.H^> 
bring up the sad memories of Lord Guilford Dudley, who 
is supposed to have cut these letters as the name of his much- 
loved wife, Lady Jane G-rey. 

" Thomas Talbot, 1462," is the oldest inscription which has 
been found in the prison. Standing in the window-recess where 
tradition says Sir Thomas More took leave of his daughter, we 
took one long, lingering, perhaps a last gaze of the room around 
whose walls are grouped so many recollections. " The very 
walls have ears," but to us these of Beauchamp Tower had 
a voice as well. I cannot say I enjoyed the Jewel House, in 
which the regalia is displayed, only so far as the rubies, sap- 
phires, emeralds, diamonds, pearls, and gold threw a glitter- 
ing magnificence around, which resembled a fairy-land ; but 
it was for these paltry things — these very treasures of the 
earth upon which we tread — ^that the prison beyond had been 
filled, that the Green had been dyed with blood, that the 
martyr's avenging cry is still going up into Grod's ears. I saw 
the crowns, the diadems, the sceptres, the orbs, the swords, 
the bracelets, the spurs, the ampulla, the baptismal font, the 
salt-cellars, the tankards, dishes and spoons, and thought of 
the starvation, the drunkenness and degradation in London 
which might be ameliorated with this wealth, enclosed within 
large squares of plate-glass, only to be used upon state occa- 
sions, and to be gazed upon for a sixpence by the travelling 
public. Before bidding a final adieu to this saddest of all 
places in London, we looked around at the " By ward Tower," 
" The Devereaux," " The Flint," " The Bowj^er," where the 
Duke of Clarence was drowned in a butt of malmsley, 1474 ; 
"The Brick Tower," "The Martin Tower," on whose walls 
are inscribed " Anne Boleyn," and where Captain Blood 



7A" LONDON. 45 

made the attempt to steal the crown when the regalia was 
kept there; "The Constable Tower," "The Broad Arrow," 
'' The Salt Tower," called in the Survey of 1532 " Julyus 
Sesar Tower;" "The Lantern Tower," "The Wakefield 
Tower," and " St. Thomas" over the Traitor's Gate. 

After watching a drill at the Barracks, we leisurely saun- 
tered out into the warm summer air, and debated whether or 
not we should take the Thames Tunnel for another expedi- 
tion before wending our way to St. Paul's Cathedral. While 
discussing the matter, Erato asked a picture-book vender " if 
that direction," pointing with her finger, " would not lead to 
St. Paul's as well as the route by which we came ?" 

" Yes'm ; but that's no place for leddies, — that is the Fish 
Market." 

"Billingsgate, is it? That is just where we want to go, 
then." 

But our picture venderess would not listen to such remarks, 
and called upon a helmeted police officer to corroborate her 
statement that it would be dangerous for us to steer through 
the whirlpool of Billingsgate. Accustomed to render all def- 
erence to municipal opinion, though rather restive under 
royal edicts, we quietly submitted to walk demurely through 
Tower Street to Cannon Street, and thence to St. Paul's Ca- 
thedral. First looking at it with an eye to what we shall re- 
cord in our note-books, we perceive a statue of Queen Anne 
in front of a double flight of steps which leads us to the 
grand front which faces Ludgate Hill. The portico is in two 
divisions, one of twelve Corinthian columns, the upper one 
of eight. The Conversion of St. Paul forms a basso-rilievo 
on the pediment, a statue of St. Paul surmounts the apex, 
and at the sides, statues of St. Peter and St. James, each fif- 
teen feet high. At the angles are the statues of the Evan- 
gelists. The south tower contains the clock, which was made 
in 1708, thus being one hundred and seventy years old. It 



46 WE FOUR. 

is an eiglit-day clock, but it takes three-quarters of an hour 
to wind it. " Two dial-plates face west and south, each 
nearly nineteen feet in diameter. The minute-hand is nine 
and two-thirds feet long, the pendulum sixteen feet long, and 
the weights would balance one hundred and eighty pounds. 
It has a beat of two seconds. The hour is struck on the 
great bell, ten feet in diameter, by a hammer weighing one 
hundred and forty-five pounds, placed outside the bell. The 
quarters are struck on two smaller bells." This much did 
an old man tell us as we sat in the weird clock-tower ; and he 
placed within our hands an anthem-book, which was still 
used, though it had seen two hundred years go by. The 
great bell, of which I spoke, is only tolled at the death of one 
of the royal family, or of the bishop, dean, or lord mayor 
dying during his term of ofiice. The bell, tolled for prayers 
is in the northern tower. The form of the Cathedral is that 
of a Latin cross, and the pavement is composed of light and 
dark marbles. The effect on entering is sublime, and I can- 
not describe my awestruck feelings better than quoting these 
words, which are inscribed on a marble slab within the nave : 
" Sir Christopher Wren. Reader, do you ask his monu- 
ment? Look around." The statues around, commemora- 
tive of great men whose deaths have been for great themes, 
faded into nothingness before this greater man, this greater 
work. There was, unfortunately, an unseemliness about 
many of the monuments, which aroused more of the sense 
of the ludicrous than an appreciation of high art, such as 
G-eneral Sir William Ponsonby, who died at Waterloo, is rep- 
resented, in an almost nude state, falling from his horse ; John 
Howard, the philanthropist, in Roman costume. But leaving 
these we descended to the crypt, where the acolyte, who also 
acted as guide, said to we four, " Come this way, ladies, — 
here lies a countryman of yours." We gathered round and 
read the simple name on the marble slab, " Benjamin West." 



IN LONDON. 47 

Even tliougli far from his native land, was not this a more 
fitting, place for genius such as his to lie down and rest with 
Sir Joshua Reynolds, Opie, Lawrence, Turner, and Sir Chris- 
topher Wren beside him ? The Wellington Chapel is lighted 
by gas from granite candelabras. A large porphyry sarcoph- 
agus contains the body of the famous duke. The funeral 
car, made of the cannon taken at his different victories, and 
covered with a magnificent velvet pall, still reminds the by- 
stander of the day when the solemn cortege wended its way 
through the principal thoroughfares of London to this sacred 
spot t;0 lay the hero and his triumphs down, together. Near 
Wellington's last couch is an altar tomb containing the re- 
mains of Sir Thomas Pictou. Under the dome is a sarcoph- 
agus of black marble in which Nelson reposes in a cofiin made 
out of the mainmast of the Orient, and quite near him we 
read upon the stones the names of the Earl of Northesk, 
and also, Lord Nelson's brother. Leaving this funereal spot, 
we return to one of the angles and, ascending a circular 
staircase, enter the Whispering Grallery, which passes round 
the dome upon the cornice over the arches. Here we were 
told to go to the opposite side from where the attendant 
stood, and, sitting down on benches arranged close to the 
wall, to place one ear so that we could hear what would be 
said to us. We did so, and were told the history of St. 
Paul's Cathedral from the time of its erection, — told, it is 
true, in a concise, brief form, but very distinct. One of the 
gentlemen, who was seated near us, attempted to answer, but 
as it appeared foolish to him to speak to a man one hundred 
feet off otherwise than in a loud tone of voice, he pitched his 
notes so high that a sudden command came over to us : 
" Whisper, if you please, gentlemen, whisper." The gallery 
is certainly very curious. As we were leaving it the custo- 
dian said, " Ladies, are you not going up higher ? — only one 
hundred and sixty-eight steps more to the Stone G-allery." 



48 WE FOUR. 

We thanked him for his kindness, but declined further ele- 
vated pursuits ; both body and mind were wearied ; so re- 
turning to the bustle and excitement of Ludgate Hill, even 
more bustling and exciting after the impressiveness and quiet- 
ness of this massive cathedral, we engaged a four-wheeler 
to take us to our London home. A little rest, a refreshing 
bath, a good supper, and we were ready to go to the Taber- 
nacle. Rumor had said that Mr. Spurgeon was about leaving 
the city for a three weeks' sojourn on the Continent, and he 
would preach on this evening a farewell sermon. Taking 
the omnibus as far as Blackfriars' Bridge, we hoped to be so 
fortunate as to obtain places in the horse-car, for only south 
of the Thames are tramways allowed ; the north is too aris- 
tocratic to give up the uncomfortable, high, noisy stage for 
the more solid advantages of the horse-car. But as the over- 
crowding, which is one of the annoyances of our car system, 
is unknown in Europe, we found that if we expected to reach 
the Tabernacle at all in time for a service we must walk, and 
so we did, down Blackfriars' Boad to St. Gleorge's Circus, 
down the London Boad to Elephant and Castle. The latter 
name was to me a mystery, the origin of which is still in ob- 
scurity. It was once a country inn, at which the coaches 
exchanged horses, in fact, a relay, just as the " Angel," one 
of the exchanges for omnibuses, must have been a hundred 
years ago. A theatre has ■ been erected very near the hotel 
Elephant and Castle, which bears the same harmonious but 
incongruous compound title. But we are now in Newington 
Butts, formerly one of the lowest districts of London, but 
through the missionary labors of the two Spurgeons, ranks 
among the respectable. 

The Tabernacle is a very plain edifice, both in exterior and 
interior, but the immensity within is the more imposing on 
account of its simplicity. Within, it is circular, with two 
galleries around it entirely, even behind the pulpit, the choir 



IN LONDON. 49 

occupying a platform beneath tlie speaker's rostrum, and its 
sounding capacity must be very fine, as the edifice will seat 
seven thousand persons, and every word can be heard dis- 
tinctly from any part of its immense space. The number 
of communicants is said to be five thousand. But our exer- 
tions in pursuit of Spurgeon were not to be repaid, as Charles 
was suffering from an hereditary attack of the gout and his 
brother James ofiiciated. But we did not realize any sense of 
disappointment, as his sermon was spiritual and fervid. The 
promise made to Abraham by the Lord, Hebrews vi. 13, was 
made more interestino- to us as beins; the first sermon we had 
heard in the old world. We had listened in the afternoon to 
a choral service at St. Paul's, and familiar as we were with 
the sweet and impressive liturgy of the English Church, it was 
impossible to understand one single word of the droning intona- 
tions of the priests at the Cathedral ; it might as well have 
been (although St. Paul himself forbade) an unknown tongue. 
But, to return to the Tabernacle, we witnessed a baptism ; 
there were, as usual, more women than men consecrating them- 
selves to the Lord's service, but while the men were dressed 
in the conventional black robes, the women wore white gowns 
with. capes and close-fitting white caps, which, to us, seemed 
more emblematic of the pure robe of Christ's righteousness. 

We were more fortunate in going home, as we were enabled 
to take an omnibus at the door of the chapel, and crossing 
Waterloo Bridge this time, taking another 'bus on the other 
side, were saved a tiresome pedestrian excursion. 

Friday, July 5, was spent in the British Museum, which 
fronts on Great Eussell Street. The exterior of the edifice is 
the Grecian-Ionic style, but time and paper both would fail 
me were I to give an extended account of the treasure in the 
interior. A summary glance is all we could give in one day's 
visit. Looking into the Beading-Room, we notice accommoda- 
tions for three hundred readers ; well lighted, well ventilated, 
c 5 



50 WE FOUR. 

and the floor laid with kainptulicon to deaden sound, and 
access to six hundred and fifty thousand volumes, make it 
the most convenient place we have ever seen for study. Ad- 
mission can only be had by the means of tickets procured 
from the librarian. To most of visitors the greatest attrac- 
tion is the Elgin Marbles, which are sculptures and inscrip- 
tions from the Parthenon of Athens and from Attica, obtained 
by Lord Elgin when ambassador at Constantinople (1801-3). 
Next are the Phigalian Marbles, arranged in the Hellenic 
Room. Traversing the Assyrian Department, into the Egyp- 
tian, we lose, as it were, our own identity as beings of the 
nineteenth century and live in the days of Sardanapalus, of 
Sennacherib ; the celebrated Rosetta Stone speaks of the 
Ptolemies, and the colossal images of granite impress us with 
their Oriental solemnity. But ages move on and we walk 
the tessellated pavements once trodden by Roman dames in 
their own fair villa, and as we examine specimens of Roman 
jewelry, found while making excavations in London, this 
metropolis of the world fades from our sight and the native 
land of Julius Caesar spreads before us. In the Medal Room 
is kept the Barberini or Portland Vase. It had formerly 
been kept in a more public room, but was broken into frag- 
•ments by a man in a crazy spell. It has been most ingen- 
iously repaired, so that the fractures are scarcely visible. It 
was found in the early part of the seventeenth century in a 
sepulchre a few miles from Rome, and thus fell into the 
hands of the Barberini family, from them to Sir William 
Hamilton, who sold it to the Duchess of Portland for eighteen 
hundred guineas. This vase is of dark amethystine blue glass, 
and the figures, representing classical scenes, are seven in num- 
ber and are very finely executed. In this room, also, is a rare 
collection of Etruscan jewelry, besides relics of miniatures, 
snuff-boxes, and ornaments of those great men and women 
who have passed away from this sphere of trivial ornaments. 



IN LONDON. 51 

While on the subject of pottery, it was a pleasure to me to 
look at the Palissy collection. One dish, particularly, of his 
work, was enamelled blue earthenware, and on it, in relief, 
were oysters, snakes, lizards, crabs, fish, shells, frogs, butter- 
flies, and leaves, all in their original colors. There seemed 
to be no art but of which the earliest specimens were col- 
lected in the British Museum. We saw there block books, 
— that is, books printed from engraved wooden blocks before 
the invention of type-printing. There were also the rude 
styles of the early German, Italian, and English printing ; 
second edition of Cranmer's great Bible of 1540 ; New Tes- 
tament, printed at Boulogne, 1525. The " Assertio Septium 
Sacramentorium," written by Henry YIII., and for which he 
received the title of " Defender of the Faith," was printed 
in 1521, by Pynson. The original bull of Pope Leo X., 
conferring Henry VIII.'s title, is also to be seen there, be- 
sides the famous Magna Charta of King John, and the bull 
of Pope Innocent III. granting the kingdoms of England and 
Ireland in fee to King John and his successors. Of anti- 
quarian curiosities, we can see a carving on stone, by Albert 
Durer, representing the birth of John the Baptist, dated 
1511 ; a carved pocket-comb of 1500 ; also the figure of a 
saint found in Tower Hill, of the same year; devotional 
tablets and mirror-cases, inscribed with love scenes, of the 
year 1300 ; enamellings in copper from the fourteenth to the 
seventeenth century ; a pair of English wedding knives of 
the seventeenth century, with the following mottoes inscribed 
on the handles : 

" Wit, wealth, and beauty all do well. 
But constant love doth far excel." 

"My love is fixed; I will not range; 
I like my choice, I will not change." 

We sincerely hope that the above proved true. There was 



52 WE FOUR. 

also a mortgage of a house in Blackfriars, witli the following 
signature : 

W. Chashspire. 

A prayer-book, in Queen Elizabeth's own handwriting, when 
princess, in 1590 ; a volume of the Arabic Koran, written in 
gold, eight hundred and sixty years ago. " Pilgrimage to the 
Holy Land," on vellum, which was the first book of travels 
known, illustrated with folding views, dated Mentz, 1486, 
was exceedingly curieux. There were series of Claude's and 
Rembrandt's etchings ; great seals, from the time of Edward 
the Confessor to the days of Queen Victoria ; coins of all 
ages and all nations ; specimens of zoology, palaeontology, 
and mineralogy ; sarcophagi and mummies. The whole 
world, from its pre-Adamic age to the present, here lay 
before us, and the mental and physical eye both became 
weary with the far-seeing strain. So, for relaxation from 
intellectual pursuits, we spent the evening at Madame Tus- 
saud's Exhibition of Wax- Work ; Baker Street, Portman 
Square. We concluded the figures in wax arranged around 
the rooms were the exact counterparts of the originals, and 
were finely modelled, as we had not had the pleasure of being 
acquainted with the originals until we came across a group 
in which were our late President Lincoln and ex-President 
Grant, — so the catalogue said, but it was rank heresy, and 
were I, General Grant, and visit the exhibition on Baker 
Street, which, I suppose, he has already done, I should de- 
molish my caricature at once. This is one of the most pop- 
ular places in London, but I was forcibly reminded of one 
line in Hood's " Bridge of Sighs" — 

" Eyes dreadfully staring" — 

as I meandered through those brilliantly-lighted rooms, sur- 
rounded by those terrible impersonations of life. 

On Saturday morning we proceeded to the Victoria Tower, 



IN LONDON. 53 

to the Lord Chamberlain's office, where we obtained tickets 
for admittance to the Houses of Parliament. If our judg- 
ment can be relied upon at all, we give it that London may 
well be proud of those splendid buildings on the river Thames, 
In the Norman Porch are statues of the sovereigns of the 
Norman line ; turning to the right of this porch we enter 
the Gruard Chamber and the Queen's Robing Room, around 
which, in fresco, we see the legends of King Arthur's time, 
executed by Dyce. We now proceed to the Victoria Gallery, 
one hundred and ten feet by forty-five feet ; panelled ceiling 
of rich beauty is above us, and the frescoes which, with 
gilding, decorate the walls, represent scenes from English 
history. From thence to the Prince's Chamber, which con- 
tains a marble group, representing the queen between Jus- 
tice and Mercy. The House of Lords and the House of 
Commons are admirably arranged for their separate members, 
and the grand entrance to the Parliament is Westminster 
Hall, — all that remains of the ancient royal palace which was 
originally built by William Rufus. Excepting the great 
hall at Padua, Westminster is the largest room without 
pillars in Europe. The great south window, to which an 
officer called our attention as being the handsomest and 
largest of stained glass in the world, is in St. Stephen's 
Porch, facing the steps at the south end of the hall. St. 
Stephen's Cloisters, built by Henry YIIL, are beautifully 
ornamented, and St. Stephen's Crypt, under the modern St. 
Stephen's Hall, has the time of its erection shrouded in mys- 
tery. It was originally called St. Mary-in-the- Vaults, or St. 
Mary-undercroft. The beautiful little chapel, which has 
lately undergone a complete restoration, is used by the resi- 
dents of the palace as a place of worship. On the right- 
hand side of Westminster Hall are situated the law courts, 
in very small apartments ; but when the new building in the 
Strand is finished they will all be removed to it. That splen- 



54 WE FOUR. 

did edifice, so far as design went, was to have been finished 
in the spring of 1878, but the masons struck, and, if I re- 
member rightly, for six weeks no work was done on the 
building. The city yielded, however, to the advanced rates, 
and when we left London for our return to America, the 
sound of the trowel " was heard in the land." The law 
courts are divided into the " Queen's Bench," " Common 
Pleas," " Exchequer," " Probate and Divorce," and " Admi- 
ralty." We visited the second and third of these courts. 
The general costume of the lawyers were black gowns and 
gray wigs. The sergeants have a black patch on the crown 
of the wig. The queen's counsel wear silk gowns, the har- 
risters only stuff apparel, while ermine belongs to the judges. 
In the first court we entered, a man, one, on whom the snows 
of sixty winters had fallen, was pleading his own right to 
some property. The lawyer on the opposite side was plead- 
ing for compromise, but the plaintiff said, " My lord, from 
first to last that has been my desire, but the matter has gone 
too far for compromise ; still, there are other courts in Lon- 
don to which I shall appeal." But the judge answered, 
" This matter shall go no farther ; the peace of London shall 
not be disturbed by you." " My lord," and the speaker rising 
as vehemently as he spoke, " the peace of London shall be dis- 
turbed by me, and I shall try every court in London until I 
have redress." Concluding we had not time to follow this 
energetic old gentleman through every court in London, we 
proceeded into the next one, where the plaintiff was giving 
his testimony. He had loaned the defendant four hundred 
and some odd pounds without taking a note, and the result 
of his confidence was the refusal of the villain borrower to 
acknowledge the loan. How this trial terminated we shall 
never know, — the poor, deceived man was nervous under the 
cross-questioning of the opposing counsel, and there seemed 
to be a general feeling of uselessness among the lawyers. 



IN LONDON. 55 

Leaving this stately palace, we crossed over to the Abbey ; 
but to me the grandeur of the interior was lost by its being 
cut up into chapels. Its form is that of a Latin cross, the 
three parts being nave, transept, and chancel ; the choir being 
constructed out of a part of the nave crossing the transept, 
thus abridging the vista in the same manner as the radiating 
chapels do. The great height of the roof gives magnifi- 
cence to this Abbey of so many eras, and letting our eyes fall 
from the immense space above, we see the mosaic pavement of 
1260, the stones and workmen both having been brought from 
Rome by Eichard De Ware, Abbot of Westminster. We went 
as pilgrims to the shrine of the Poets' Corner. Standing by 
the slab bearing the simple name Charles Dickens, we recalled 
the fact that a warm admirer of his had intended giving us 
an ivy-leaf to lay upon his tomb. But she did not, and if 
a sigh to his memory can be a tribute, the great novelist's 
tomb was benisoned with that. There is no monument to 
Dickens, and he needs none. We read his most laudatory 
epitaphs in his own works ; we see his talent when we gaze 
upon the street-sweeper or the purse-proud alderman ; and 
his everlasting monument is Fleet Street, Newgate, Cheap- 
side, Scotland Yard, Mincing Lane, Petticoat Lane, Chancery 
Lane, and, in fact, all London. In No^-folk Street, Strand, 
we were shown the second-story windows of a house which, 
while the rest of the mansion was very neat, looked as if 
water and glass were natural enemies. There for years, we 
were told, a man had lived unseen except by two servants, 
who had grown gray in his service. Pity, we thought, that 
the hermit had not been obliged to work for his living, than 
to throw away every natural feeling in order to cultivate 
morbid sensations. Poor, misguided man ! Death has come, 
however, and, covering him with a mantle of earth, has closed 
the eyes of this world to the Earl of Dysart. But, perchance, 
he has been met in the other world with other eyes ? How 



56 WE FOUR. 

contemptible, then, must look to him those long, slow years 
in Norfolk Street, with wealth accumulating only to be squan- 
dered by his posterity ! The veritable home of Mr. Mieawber 
is shown to those who will not consider that eccentric gen- 
tleman, to whom fortune was blind, as a myth. Had not 
Dickens material enough in every street in London for his 
novels ? But this is a digression. Let us return to West- 
minster Abbey. We wonder if Ben Jonson is not tired, 
standing up all this time ; we criticise Mrs. Siddons in her 
strained attitude as Lady Macbeth ; we condemn Gray for his 
own epitaph : 

" Life is a jest, and all things show it; 
I thought so once, but now I know it," 

while we forgive him after reading the lines which Pope had 
inscribed below those irreverent ones just quoted. Tearing 
ourselves away from the Poets' Corner with its galaxy of 
names from Chaucer down to Dickens, we pass into the dif- 
ferent chapels, first, " St. Edward the Confessor's." The 
leading feature contained in this is the shrine erected to his 
memory and the tomb of his virgin wife, Editha. 

Here, also, is the Coronation Chair, which Edward I. 
brought from Scotland after his victory in that latter country. 
Underneath it, fastened with iron clamps, is the ancient stone 
on which the former kings of Scotland were crowned in the 
days of simple patriarchal life. Erato, after the verger had 
finished the historical part of his narration, continued it by 
stating that " the stone was the identical one which Jacob 
used as a pillow when he had his remarkable dream ; it was 
then taken by his children into Egypt ; carried by them in their 
pilgrimage through the desert. When the ancient Phoenicians 
invaded L-eland they brought the stone with them, a trophy 
of victory over the Hebrews, and Fergus, son of Erin, won it in 
Ireland and conveyed it to Scone, and the legend says, wherever 
it is preserved a king of Scotch descent will ever reign." 



IN LONDON. 57 

A look of incredulity passed over tlie countenances of 
those around, but as no one neither contradicted nor ridiculed 
the statement, it may be set down as one of the mani/ 
authentic facts. The second chair was used in the time of 
William and Mary at the double coronation, but they are 
both such shabby articles, disfigured by the scars of vandal- 
ism, that much velvet and gorgeous trappings are needed on 
eventful days of coronation. The mausoleum of Henry Y. 
adjoins St. Edward's Chapel, and contains the statue of that 
monarch cut from the heart of an oak. The head of the 
statue had been of silver, but every ornament that was valu- 
able was pilfered after the Reformation. A sarcasm seems 
linked with the word. Ascending a circular flight of steps, 
we enter a chantry, where a helmet, shield, and saddle, said 
to have been used by Henry in the battle of Agincourt are 
preserved. The Chapel of St. Erasmus was formerly set 
with ancient tombs ; but few remain now. A curious brass 
figure representing an abbot in full canonicals is appropriated 
to the tomb of Abbot John Fascett, who died in the year 
1498. In the Islip Chapel we see the " ruling passion strong 
in death ;" the carving representing an eye and a branch or 
slip of a tree, — the abbot's pun on his own name. In St. 
John the Baptist's Chapel have been found the relics of the 
oldest painting known to exist in Great Britain. It is much 
defaced, but was intended to represent ten knights ; as it is 
at the foot of the tomb of Edmond Crouchback, son of Henry 
III., we surmise, it commemorates the expedition to the Holy 
Land, of Edmond, his brother, four earls, and four knights. 
The Chapels of St. John the Evangelist, St. Andrew and St. 
Michael, once separate, are now thrown together and are filled 
with monuments. The most notable is that of Boubiliac to 
Mr. and Mrs. Nightingale. The ghastly form of Death is 
issuing from a tomb, and his fatal dart is aimed at the figure 
of the wife, whom the husband supports with one hand, while 



58 WE FOUR. 

with tlie other he endeavors to ward off the sting. The 
Chapel of St. Edmund is remarkable for a sumptuous tomb 
to the eighth earl of Shrewsbury and his countess, Jane. 

Simon Langham, once Archbishop of Canterbury, is repre- 
sented on an altar tomb of Pelworth marble ; the statue is of 
gypseous alabaster and in a good state of preservation. This 
is in-St. Benedict's Chapel. In St. Nicholas's Chapel we find 
two monuments erected by devoted husbands to the memories 
of their no less devoted wives. Protector Edward, Duke of 
Somerset, and Cecil, Lord Burleigh, have here commemorated 
their deceased spouses' virtues. 

We will now proceed to what Leland terms " the wonder 
of the world," Henry VII. 's Chapel, this splendid piece of 
Grothic architecture with its brass gates of curious workman- 
ship. We wonder, while standing in the north aisle, if we 
shall ever understand the mind of James L, who could erect 
for both his mother and her murderess each an ornate monu- 
ument ! That the latter willed to him her crown and kingdom 
he, perhaps, thought as good a cause for gratitude as the fact 
that from the other woman he had received his being. Here 
lie among their ancestors the Princes Edward and Bichard, 
whose bones had been hidden for many years under the Tower 
stairway, of which we have spoken before. From this chapel 
we arrive at that of St. Paul's. Leaving kings and queens, 
warriors and statesmen, we stand in this shrine before the white 
statue of James Watt, executed by Chantry. His realm has 
been the world of science ; his victory, over superstition and 
ignorance ; his reward, the good of a multitude. 

The saintly name of Westminster Abbey is St. Peter. 
Legend says the apostle appeared visibly and chose the site 
for his church ; and being a fisherman once himself, and still 
bearing a tender thought toward his old trade, blessed the 
Thames Biver with salmon, which would be a plenteous supply 
so long as a fair gift of the fish was made to the abbot every 



IN LONDON. 59 

year at the time of the first haul. It is said this custom was pre- 
served so far as the thirteenth century. We attended a choral 
service here, which was by far more intelligible than the one 
we heard at St. Paul's Cathedral, and there was a solemnity 
about the association which lifted the soul up to heaven as if 
on angels' wings in praise. But we could not understand why 
the priest could not move through ihe, chancel without being 
preceded or, more properly speaking, guarded by an attendant 
with a drawn sword, or as it was in Westminster, with a spear ! 
It is true our Saviour said, " I come not to bring peace on the 
earth, but a sword ;" but that sword is in the hands of his 
•enemies, as we learn from that terrible night of his betrayal, 
when they came out with " swords and with staves to take 
him." 

On the next day, Sunday, Clio and Erato started out, in 
the words of Mrs. Partington, to find some place " where 
the gospel is dispensed with." According to her meaning, 
they found the site ; according to her words, they did not ; 
for in St. Pancras, Euston Square, Middlesex, the Rev. 
Donald Spence, Canon of Grloucester, preached a truly god- 
like sermon on the ninth verse of the Epistle of St. Jude. 
St. Pancras is a modern edifice, having been built in 1819, 
and its architecture is modelled from the Grrecian. Beneath 
the church are receptacles for two thousand coffins, — miniature 
catacombs ! The women pew-openers, mostly widows, we 
judge, by their black shawls and bonnets, have not yet been 
driven from their posts by the American style, or innovation 
perhaps, of employing men. In the afternoon we four at- 
tended service in the Catholic Apostolic Church in Grordon 
Square. It is in the early Gothic style, and although only 
twenty years old, the stone is so dark and soft that it appears 
to belong to a Grothic era as well as style. The church, 
not the building, was founded forty years ago by Edward 
Irving, who spoke in unknown tongues, under the influence 



60 WE FOUR. 

of the Holy Spirit, who, he thought, had descended upon 
him. This sect consists of twelve apostles and seven churches. 
The twelve are divided into elders, evangelists, prophets, and 
pastors ; and their stoles are black, blue, crimson, and purple, 
according to position, while the officiating priests at the high 
altar wore royal purple. 

A sermon was first preached, and then the service followed, 
conducted very much like a Ritualistic or Roman Catholic 
mass, in bowings, use of holy water, and incense. The 
prayer-book is a mixture of Church of England liturgy with 
something else with which we were not acquainted, perhaps 
original matter. Their custom of enrolling members is by 
sealing, as they contend they have Scripture testimony for 
the act. 

How little will avail all ceremony when we stand before 
the bar of Cod, and remember that Christ said, " For who- 
soever shall do the will of Cod, the same is my brother, and 
my sister, and mother" ! At St. Pancras there was congrega- 
tional singing, but at the Catholic Apostolic Church and 
Christ Church, which we attended in the evening, there were 
choristers, which performed the duty of praise for us, 7mser- 
ahle singers ! The sermon in that pretty modern edifice was 
preached by the Rev. Dr. Thornton, on St. Luke, xv. 7, and 
with this service ended our first Sabbath in London. Re- 
freshed by the peaceful air of a well-kept Sunday, we arose 
strengthened for our labor of sight-seeing on Monday. But 
here let me observe one peculiarity of the London Sabbath. 
It certainly appears to be a model of propriety alongside of 
giddy, whirling Paris ; but its omnibuses run the same, and 
its cabs, and strawberries were called out lustily by the stal- 
wart hucksteress in our ears as we wended our way through 
the solemn city to church. 

On Monday morning we went a shopping through the 
fashionable resorts of Regent and Oxford Streets, and Hoi- 



IN LONDON. 61 

born. Peter Robinson bas a very fine establisbment, but we 
do not know wbetber Meeking in Holborn does not equal 
bim. But I am not an advertising agency, so I will not rec- 
ommend eitber establisbment to my readers, except tbat a 
person would be bard to suit wbo could not be pleased, shop- 
ping in London. But we cannot understand wby, witb Pa- 
risians for opposite neigbbors, a little Parisian taste bas not 
influenced tbe Englisb. Tbeir sAop-windows (a term, by 
tbe way, to wbicb, we could bardly become accustomed) 
evince neitber order nor striking points witb wbicb to attract 
tbe passer-by, excepting book-windows, and witb tliem tbeir 
own ricbness of binding serves to arrange tbem in a pleasing 
manner. And tbe dressing of Englisb ladies bas become 
proverbial for its incongruity. Sealskin over lawn, and clotb 
sacques over ligbt calico, and common wbite lace, trimming 
everytbing, is ratber open to criticism. 

After finisbing our morning excursion tbrougb Sbopping- 
dom, we went to one of tbe finest sites in London, according 
to Sir Bobert Peel, and tbat is Trafalgar Square, on tbe north 
side of wbicb is located tbe National Gallery. Tbe principal 
feature of tbe square is tbe Nelson Monument. It is built of 
Devonshire granite, in the Corinthian order, and on the four 
sides of tbe pedestal are bronze reliefs representing battle scenes 
in tbe life of Nelson. At the base are four lions, designed by 
Sir Edwin Landseer. At the top of the fluted column, stands 
the statue of him, to whose memory the beautiful monument 
was erected. At the northeast corner of the square is Chan- 
try's work, an equestrian statue in bronze of George lY. At 
the southeast corner is a handsome statue of General Havelock 
of India fame. Two circular fountains adorn the centre of the 
square, and a statue of General Sir Charles Napier completes 
tbe four illustrious ornaments in it. In the Gallery we can see 
the works of the old masters. In the Italian school, we revel 
among the Titians, Correggios, Guides, Baphaels, Salvator 

G 



62 WE FOUR. 

E,osas, the Da Vincis, and the Veronese. Only Murillo and 
Velasquez are well represented in the Spanish school. In 
the Flemish and Dutch, we study Van Eyck, Rembrandt, 
Kubens, and Vandyck. We see the French school scarcely 
through any medium but Claudes, and we are sujQfused with 
the red glow of the English Turner gallery of its one hundred 
and twenty-five oil-paintings, besides water-colored and un- 
finished drawings. Pomona was admiring the classic gems, 
when she suddenly called the attention of her three associates, 
to a large painting of " Cleopatra Landing from her Barge."' 
" I never knew before," Pomona ejaculated, " that Saratoga 
trunks were not a modern invention, and yet, see that stal- 
wart negro carrying one on his shoulder off of the vessel." 
" True enough," they all replied in one symphonious voice ; 
" it is a two-story modern affair, after all." And the old 
master was disenchanted and vanished. 

We had been told that if we were at the " Horse Gruards" 
by eleven o'clock a.m. we should be in time for the parade, 
so on Tuesday morning we bent our steps thitherward, and 
were a little too early, as the clock which faces two ways in 
the central turret,, and is a model of accuracy, warned us. 
So while watching the clock moving on to the appointed 
hour, we also watched the two mounted guardsmen on their 
coal-black steeds. So immovable were horse and rider that 
they made me shudder with the same shudder with which 
Gog and Magog impressed me when we visited Gruildhall. 
We saw an infantry drill, and the dress parade of this, the 
Queen's body-guard. Such grenadiers as they were, not one 
under six feet, and caparisoned so finely, the Queen might 
well be proud of them for their show, but the strength of 
the kingdom lies not there, for the day has come when " the 
pen is mightier than the sword." 

Taking a pleasant ramble through St. James's Park, think- 
ing of Henry VIII., who first drained the swampy land there- 



m LONDON. 63 

abouts to make pleasure-grounds for himself, drinking in a 
draught of green sward, of shrubberies, of trees, of winding 
stream, and peaceful lake, we imagined ourselves away, far 
away from busy London. But here we are at Buckingham 
Palace, with the name of the resident on the iron gates, — V. R. 
It became a royal palace in 1761, having been purchased by 
G-eorge III., who removed there from St. James's. Neither 
George lY. nor William TV., however, resided there, and it 
only became a family mansion again when Queen Victoria took 
possession of it in 1837 ; but she holds her levees in St. James's 
Palace. The latter obtained its name from a lepers' hospital 
dedicated to that saint, once standing on the site. Walking 
back through St. James's Park, passing the immovable guard 
into the broad street, we crossed to the building of which all 
that remains is the Banqueting House, once known as White- 
hall Palace. Opposite that centre window was erected the 
scaffold to which Charles I. walked firmly, out from that very 
window, which is now concealed from the interior view by the 
Queen's pew, as the Banqueting Boom is now a royal chapel, 
in which one of the Queen's chaplains preaches every Sun- 
day ; but Victoria herself only attends divine service there on 
Maundy-Thursday, when the annual distribution of alms to 
the parish takes place. The apotheosis of James I. is repre- 
sented on the ceiling in Bubens's finest style. Behind the 
house is a fine bronze statue of James I., which the Bevolu- 
tion spared, whatever else was destroyed. Once this was York 
Place, where Cardinal Wolsey lived in splendor ; but his down- 
fall saw its magnificence displayed for Henry YIII. and Anne 
Boleyn. It fell into the hands of the usurper Cromwell, 
and again, we see poor James II., fleeing by night from its 
threshold to seek warmer hearts than those of his children. 
On July 16, 1878, in that royal chapel a marriage was 
consummated between the Earl of Carrington and the Lady 
Buccleugh ; as it is a small room, with pews only for peers 



64 WE FOUR. 

and members of Parliament, only three hundred invitations 
were given out. 

Our next visit was to G-uildhall, the town-hall of the city 
of London, and the large room over which the grotesque 
wooden figures called Grog and Magog, carved in 1708, keep 
guard, is used for civic banquets, elections, and other city 
meetings. Marble monuments of Lord Mayor Bickford, the 
Earl of Chatham, William Pitt, the Duke of Yf ellington, 
surround the room ; statues of Edward YL, Elizabeth, and 
Charles I. are back of the dais. In the New City Library 
and Museum, adjoining Gruildhall, is a fine collection of old 
manuscripts, antiquities, autographs of kings and queens and 
other eminent personages. Here is the deed of purchase of 
a house in Blackfriars, with the autograph signature of 
" William Shakspere, of Stratford upon Avon, Grentleman." 
The mortgage on the same property I mentioned as seeing 
exhibited in the British Museum. After satisfying our 
curiosity in Gruildhall, we asked a gentlemanly official to tell 
us the nearest station for the Metropolitan Railway. He 
was quite surprised at our wishing to take it, as it would 
not lead us in any direction near our boarding-house ; but 
finding, we were determined to ride in the underground car, 
he politely informed us he would take us out by the private 
door used only by the mayor, that would lead us to the 
nearest station. How curious it was to be flying along, seeing 
nor hearing nothing of the commercial and social interests 
that were moving in their ceaseless round above our heads ! 
These cars are quite comfortable, being well lighted, and 
travelling with ease and quickness that a crowded street 
would necessarily prove a barrier. But here we must alight 
and take a tedious 'bus toward our London home. 

Our next trip was by the way of the London and Brighton 
Bailway, from London Bridge Station to Sydenham, in order 
to visit the Crystal Palace. It formed, the second Exhibition 



IN LONDON. 65 

Building erected by the government, in 1867, but is now in 
the hands of a company as a permanent edifice for the im- 
provement and education of the people. We understand that 
it is not paying its own expenses, but we did not learn that, 
like our Philadelphia Main Exhibition Building, it would be 
destined to destruction. On entering the building, one feels 
as if transported into some fairy region, so enchanting is the 
view along the entire nave. One can imagine mermaids sport- 
ing in the limpid fountains, naiads reclining on the banks, 
dryads playing hide-and-seek among the plants, and aerials on 
gauzy wings cleaving the dome. If one is an unbeliever in 
Fairydom, we will take him through the Pompeian, the Grreek, 
the Alhambra, the Egyptian, the Assyrian, the Byzantine, the 
German, English, French, and Italian Mediaeval, the Renais- 
sance, and the Elizabethan Courts, and there study the arts 
of the real world in their proper historic data. Leaving the 
ancient and coming into our modern world, we ramble through 
the Sheffield, Birmingham, Ceramic, Grlass, and Porcelain, 
Stationery and Fancy Courts. The Chinese Department is 
the loan collection of the venerable Archdeacon Grrey, but 
the India collection pales before the private one of the Prince 
of Wales, loaned to the Paris Exhibition, of which more anon. 
Of the paintings, we were more interested in what is called 
the Victoria Cross Grallery, each picture representing the 
scene in which the hero won by some signal act of bravery 
his " Victoria Crosse The effect of light and shade was 
vividly brought out in one picture, where a soldier was repre- 
sented as carrying a burning shell in his hands away from the 
vicinity of a powder-magazine. Those to whom natural his- 
tory is an attractive study can find food for it on these grounds, 
for extinct animals are here remodelled into shape, so that 
one can trace the iguanodon, the megalosaurus, the hylaeo- 
saurus, the plesiosaurus, the icththyosaurus, down to those 
more familiar names plain to every schoolboy. The student 

6* 



ee WE FOUR. 

in geology will find here tlie strata of the earth arranged for 
him in methodic order, and those who prefer physical culture 
rather than the expansion of the mental will patronize the 
croquet, the cricket, the archery, and rifle grounds. 

After purchasing knick-knacks from the bazaars, and solid 
refreshments from the dining-saloon, we took our seats oppo- 
site the orchestra erected for the Handel Festival, and capable 
of seating four thousand performers, to witness an acrobatic 
performance. The grand organ, with its four rows of keys 
and sixty-six stops, was played at the same time, which 
pleased the ear while the gymnasts' evolutions distracted the 
eye. 

We have only a little time for a glance at the Industrial 
Museum, the Naval Museum, the Technological Collection, 
the Wiirtemberg display of animals, for some beautiful 
specimens of statuary take our attention. The one of " The 
Mourners" — a man, dead, over whom are grieving his wife 
and his horse — is considered the clief-d' oeuvre of the Palace 
Copies of the Vatican sculpture are seen there, so that one 
finds Rome reproduced in every gallery in Europe. There 
were quite a number of children through the building, in 
consequence of the coming acrobat performance. We met a 
party of ten little fellows, each carrying a canvas bag over his 
shoulder, in which he placed his purchased treasures, — 
whistles, fifes, trumpets, whips, candies, books, — that is, he 
placed them there after making as much noise with the musi- 
cal instruments as a genuine boy out for a holiday usually 
does. 

Christ's Hospital, Newgate Street, may be a noble charity, 
but we had a great deal of sympathy for the bareheaded 
" Blue-Coat Boys." The dress is a conspicuous one, — a 
long blue coat, yellow breeches, and yellow stockings, a band 
like a clergyman's around the neck, and a red leather belt 
around the waist. Murray says that they wear a " flat black 



IN LONDON. 67 

cap of woollen yarn, about the size of a saucer ;" but it must 
be in winter-time, as wben we saw tbem, as we often did, and 
many in tbe Crystal Palace, the sun could bleach their locks 
unforbidden. But evening is coming on ; and, after another 
picturesque ride beneath an English sunset, we arrived at 
home, tired, but fascinated with the Crystal Palace. 

We must not leave London, however, which we are think- 
ing about doing, without seeing Hyde Park. Three hundred 
and eighty-eight acres is a meagre affair in comparison with 
the Philadelphia Park ; but ground is too precious there to 
waste too much in parks. It was now the latter end of the 
London season, and between eleven and one o'clock A.M. and 
half-past five to seven P.M. splendid equipages can be seen in 
Hyde Park. Kotten Row, — a corruption of Route du Roi 
(the King's Drive), — a bridle-road leading from Apsley House 
to Kensington Gardens, is thronged with fair equestrians 
from twelve to two o'clock, the valetudinarians taking their 
constitutional in the early morning. The triple archway at 
Hyde Park Corner was erected in 1828. It is ornamented 
with bas-reliefs from the Elgin Marbles. The Marble Arch, 
which fronts on Great Cumberland Street, was moved from 
Buckingham Palace here in 1850. The great Exhibition of 
1851 was held on this site in a crystal palace, and near, where 
once it had been, stands the Monument to Albert, prince 
consort, the finest in the world. On four piers of granite 
rises a Gothic canopy, beneath which is a colossal bronze 
statue of His Boyal Highness. Four groups of marble stat- 
ues are at the angles of the lower steps, — Europe, Asia, Africa, 
and America. Above these are four smaller groups, — Agri- 
culture, Manufactures, Commerce, and Engineering. Above 
the steps are two hundred life-size figures of the eminent 
men of the world in art, science, and literature. A min- 
iature lake, called " The Serpentine^^^ is one of the beauties 
of Hyde Park. There boats can be hired by the hour. The 



68 WE FOUR. 

carriage-drive along the north bank is called " The Lady's 
Mile." The flower-beds are very handsomely arranged, and 
the shrubbery at this season of the year, is in its most beautiful 
verdure ; but one cannot sit down on one of the chairs to rest 
the weary limbs or to watch the equestrians without the pay- 
ment of one penny (two cents')^ and if one is but a moderate 
walker, the resting-places between Hyde Park Corner and the 
Marble Arch become rather luxuries. There are nine gate- 
ways by which entrance can be effected, all of which are very 
handsome. We were fortunate enough to visit the park in 
time for a review of the troops, a sight which the red uni- 
form constituted rather a showy affair. We had been dis- 
cussing for some time the question " by what means Her 
Majesty's gallant boys kept their small caps perched so 
jauntily just over the right ear !" If they had had chignon 
sufficient to have held pins, the mystery could have been 
solved ; but a light elastic cord did not appear to our eyes 
strong enough to keep the soldier's head-gear in such a pre- 
carious position, but it did, nevertheless. 

But we must bid " good-by" to London for a little while. 
Much remains to be seen, and much that we can never see ; 
but now the city of the fashionable world is beckoning us to 
her embrace, and we long for thee, " dear, delightful Paris !" 



PART THIED. 

PARIS. 

"And now to Paris." 

Heury VI., Act 'i, Scene 1 : ShAKSPEARE. 

I DO not intend my book to be a guide to any one who 
purposes travelling in Europe ; there are works of the kind 
that, being written expressly for tourists, give information, 
while mine is only a record of personal experiences, from 
which, if my friends can profit and do better, will make me 
feel, that at least, my tribute has been of some little use in 
the world of letters. I have made this digression because I 
have heard so many arguments relative to the best route of 
crossing the Channel. The only one, that will satisfy me, is 
not yet completed, and that is by a submarine railway ; until 
then, unless one can be Captain Boynton or Professor Wise, 
we must submit to the inevitable sea-sickness. We left Lon- 
don in the eight o'clock p.m. train for Newhaven, which we 
reached in about two hours and a half. It was moonlight, 
and when the long-lingering twilight of this English climate 
had merged into night we still could see the long stretch 
of woodland, the abundant fields, and the farm-houses nest- 
ling lovingly down among beautiful gardens, and after a while 
there came to our nostrils the scent of the sea, and then we 
saw the glittering streak of moonbeams on that deceitful 
water. We learned one lesson that night, and that was, 
henceforward, to cross the Channel in the daytime, as the 
night-boats are proverbially uncomfortable. No separate 
praise can be given to the Channel boats en masse., but, as 
the old saw runs, " Of many evils choose the least," the 

69 



70 WE FOUR. 

day-boats loom before my vision as coming in the catalogue 
as numbered " least." The Marseilles was crowded that 
night with an incongruous number of passengers, — all ages, 
nationalities, and creeds were represented in the first, second, 
and third grades. We had been advised to remain on deck 
all night if it was pleasant weather ; but about midnight the 
fog gathered its clammy folds around us^ and Erato declared 
that a certain nauseous feeling was stealing over her. She 
started for the stairway, when a gentleman kindly asked, 
" Can you get down alone, miss ?" 

" Indeed I do not know," she answered, looking dubi- 
ously at the few steps, which seemed to be multiplying them- 
selves ad infinitum. 

"Allow me to help you," was the rejoinder; and Erato 
knew no more until she found herself seated on a camp-stool 
in the ladies' cabin with every berth occupied. A forlorn- 
looking damsel she was, until the steward entered with a 
heavy rug, saying, " I will make you a bed on the floor, miss." 

" Anywhere ; I care not," was uttered in the most tragic 
tones ; " only that I may lie down." 

Next started Pomona. Again a friendly voice spoke, but 
in different terms : " Don't go down there, miss ; you will be 
sick if you attempt it." 

" I am sick now, sir ; so I must go down or die in the 
attempt." Again was a kindly hand stretched forth, and 
Pomona found herself launched on the cabin-floor by the 
side of her friend. 

" Misery loves company ;" and it began to be a diversion 
to study the different characters around one, and see the 
different phases of that strange malady, sea-sickness. One 
matronly lady, whose dialect recorded her Scotch nationality, 
was lying on her back in her berth, endeavoring to keep her 
black silk travelling costume as smooth and nice-looking as 
possible. " Lie on yer back, chiel, an' ye won't be sick," 



ON THE CHANNEL, 71 

was her address to Erato, as the latter took her place upon 
the floor. " Thanks," was the rejoinder, and the advice was 
complied with. It did have a beneficial effect on Erato, but 
it was not perceivable in the matron herself. A young 
French girl, going home after an absence of two years on 
English shore, amused us by her vivacity in the pauses of 
her inevitable qualms ; in fact, none realized that the day be- 
fore we had not known each other, and the day after we 
should separate, never, perhaps, to meet again on earth ; still, 
for that miserable night we were as one family. But the 
morning cometh^ and a forlorn set of passengers clustered on 
the upper deck, gazing on the old town of Dieppe, where our 
breakfast awaited us. Artemis and Clio had remained upon 
deck all night, under the friendly shelter of an umbrella to 
keep the fog off, and were even more delighted than the sea- 
sick passengers to gaze upon the shores of fair France. 

Dieppe is situated where the Aignes River empties into 
the Channel. It is a seaport town, enclosed by two jetties 
and bordered by quays ; but it is not considered a very con- 
venient harbor. Its chief attraction is its being a good bathing- 
place, having been brought into notice by the Duchess de Berri. 
Its old castle and its picturesque old women, with their high 
Normandy caps, were its chief attractions to us. 

We had been advised to travel by this route as giving us 
an extended view of the most beautiful scenery both in Eng- 
land and France ; but while we had the enjoyment of a simple 
country life, we missed the bolder, picturesque forms of nature 
as most strikingly displayed in America. 

Kouen is situated in an irregular valley, and, where the old 
ramparts of the ancient French town once were, are shaded 
boulevards. From the Hill of St. Catherine, Rouen spreads 
before us as one of the most picturesque of provincial towns ; 
but its narrow, dark and dirty streets, with wooden houses 
faced with slate, cannot add beauty to the picture. It is true 



72 WE FOUR. 

new streets have been cut, in which are elegant mansions of 
stone, and on the Seine are rows of new houses, but they 
only make the contrast the more vivid. But Rouen is only 
memorable at the present time for two things, — the Cathedral 
and the monument to Joan of Arc, on the very site where 
she was so wickedly burned. The Cathedral has two lofty 
towers in different styles of architecture, whether built in 
different eras or not, I forgot to inquire, but the interior is in 
the early pointed style, and has very handsome windows in the 
nave and transept. Beneath the pavement of the choir lies 
the lion-heart of Bichard I., of England, and the bodies of 
his uncle and brother, Geoffrey Plantagenet and Henry, are 
also interred there. It is the last resting-place of John, 
Duke of Bedford, Begent of Normandy, and of Fontanelle, 
and Corneille, the Shakspeare of France. 

Our ride to Paris was made more interesting to us from 
the fact that the young French girl whose vivacity charmed 
us during the dreary hours on the Marseilles was our com- 
panion in the carriage of the train, and was so delighted at 
being on her " native heath" that she gave us descriptions of 
every place we passed, and seemed enchanted with our sym- 
pathetic interest. Approaching St. Germain, her ecstasy was 
exhilarating ; the long stretch of woodland of eight thousand 
nine hundred acres, the grand hunting-place of the early 
kings, aroused her to speak of the historical reminiscences 
that cluster round St. Germain. The gloomy brick chateau, 
founded by Charles V., the favorite residence of Francis I., 
Henry II., and Henry lY., Charles IX., Louis XII., and 
Louis XIY., is now used as a barracks and a prison. In that 
building the abused monarch, James II., of England, died in 
1701. St. Germain now rests in the hearts of the French 
people as being the spot where their idol, Monsieur Thiers, 
breathed his last sigh in 1877, September 3. We could see 
in the distance the towers of St. Denis, but the bristling 



IN PARIS. 73 

Mont Valerian prevented us from seeing Paris. Once it was 
the resort of pious devotees to a sacred slirine, but in 1841 
it became one of the defences of Paris, and played a promi- 
nent part in the late Communistic War. Arriving at "La 
Gare du Chemin de Fer de I'Ouest," our first business was to 
engage a carriage for our new home. There were so many 
persons on the train in consequence of the Exposition that it 
was some time before we could find a " voiture" disengaged, 
finally one coachman was found unemployed, and on inquiring 
his fare, he stated five francs. Knowing that a pour-hoire was 
expected besides, we considered that for the distance five francs 
between four was a very moderate demand ; still, to be sure of 
the fact, we asked him for his number and a card. This he 
refused to give, attempting to show that he could not compre- 
hend our school-girl French, but not being a good actor, he 
overdid the mark, and we plainly saw he was attempting an 
extortion. However, there was no alternative in this Babel, so 
getting our trunks from the custom-house ofl&cers, — which 
performance, like the one when we landed from the Canada, 
was a mere farce, — we entered our carriage, after paying por- 
terage and being informed by our " cocher^^ that an additional 
dentii-franc must be forthcoming in consequence of our bag- 
gage. We promised everything, so glad we were at the pros- 
pect of a bed before us after our dismal night on the Channel. 
So weary were we, that Paris then was no more to us than 
streets of quaint houses, with scores of bonnetless women on 
the streets ; its real beauty and attractiveness grew upon us 
in our later wanderings about this ancient Lutetia, — the city 
of the Romans. Arriving at Monsieur A.'s, we found the 
affable French gentleman just coming down the wide stair- 
way, and the concierge introduced him to our party. We 
had noticed a very unnecessary haste on the part of our driver 
whom we had told to wait for us as we might probably be 
obliged to go farther, but as the polite, gray-haired gentleman 
D 7 



74 WE FOUR. 

insisted that lie could accommodate us, I handed Monsieur the 
five francs fifty centimes and five sous to pay our restless cocJier. 
Monsieur looked at me in astonishment, and instantly began 
to upbraid the wily man for his fraudulent dealing, and ended 
the scolding by giving him two francs and the five sous. The 
driver at first refused to take it, declaring the ladies had 
promised him the five, but as Monsieur turned towards his 
domicile, advising the man to drive to the police station then 
for redress, he mildly asked for his two francs and his pour- 
hoire, and, whipping up his forlorn-looking horses, started off 
a " sadder but a wiser man." How curious to our American 
eyes was the style of furnishing houses, both in London and 
Paris ! Here were the waxed, inlaid floors, the grim old 
chairs, the spindle-legged tables, the walls hung with antique 
china and wooden carvings. We were lodged in what would 
be with us the fourth story, although it is only counted the 
third from the " entresoV^ in France, and leaning over our 
balconies on a summer evening, we had delightful views of 
golden sunsets and of the Boulevard de la Villette, with 
tramways crowded from the Exposition. 

But our first meal in Paris, — how can I describe the din- 
ner, served so differently to what we had been accustomed ? 
Some persons fall naturally into the routine of courses, but 
others do not, and therefore are glad to return to American 
shores for meals. I missed nothing, either in eating or drink- 
ing, at first, but tea, and, not being particularly fond of it at 
best, it was perfectly unpalatable ; but the coffee was delicious 
at our dejeuner; chocolate was generally our morning bev- 
erage. But dinner ; first, as usual, was the excellent soup 
that only the French know how to make ; then came a ripe, 
juicy melon ; next on the table, was brought by the neat- 
handed Maria, duck; after that was taken away, white po- 
tatoes, — for, I am sorry to say, I did not taste a sweet potato 
after we left the Canada until we arrived in America again ; 



IN PARIS. 75 

and sugar-corn, also, was quite surprising to our English 
cousins, when we described to them our way of boiling and 
eating those delicious ears. But I am wandering from my 
French repast. And then salad, — for no meal is perfect 
without that ; sometimes beans and sometimes artichokes 
varied the vegetable riienage ; cottage-cheese came next in 
order, and this day raspberries was our dessert ; and, as water 
was a condemned luxury, we were obliged to forego it for 
Yin de Bordeaux, Yin de Bourgoyne, or Yin de Xeres. But 
these French wines are so light that one felt not the evil 
effects of this violation of all temperance habits ; and yet, is 
it not this perpetual wine-bibbing that makes the French 
nation the versatile, light-headed, quick-tempered people that 
they are ? I do not like to use the word intoxicated in the 
broad sense to which it is applied to the English, Irish, or 
Scotch ; but are the French really ever sober ? was a question 
that haunted me many times during my sojourn in Paris. 
We only saw one man to whom the epithet '•'■drunW could be 
applied, and yet, to what cause can we attribute the terrible 
outrages that have devastated Paris, and even now the con- 
stant undercurrent of communism, if it is not that the brains 
of the French inhabitants are constantly confused with wine ? 
Our first day in Paris was spent in investigating. We 
hired a cabriolet and visited our banker, Munroe, in the Rue 
Scribe ; Drexel's, in the Boulevard Haussmann ; Meyers's 
fashionable ladies' shoe-store, in the Bue Neuve Aux Petits 
Champs ; Cook's Tourist Ofiice, 15 Place du Havre, making 
all these expeditions between heavy showers of rain. We 
thought we had left the moist strata when we departed 
from London, but there was scarcely a day of our sojourn in 
Paris but we had the clouds weeping over us. To-day we 
saw the Colonne Yendome ; workmen were still eno;a2;ed at it, 

' 7 

renovating what their own hands had attempted to destroy. 
But no matter what changes have been made in it, it is a 



76 WE FOUR. 

magnificent monument to Napoleon I., to whom France can 
never be c;rateful enouo-li for lier adornment. Paris is indeed 
a beautiful city ! After the gloom and austerity of London it 
burst upon us as a lovely, dancing-girl following a nun, and 
tbis phase of its character was well developed on the next 
day, — July 14, — the anniversary of the fall of the Bastille, 
as six hundred and fifty' musical societies kept the festival at 
the Tuileries. While we noticed in Europe a sacred respect 
for all manner of holidays, and an observance of commem- 
oration for the most trifling afikir ; yet still, in this day, we 
could see no straining after an excuse for relaxation, but an 
earnest remembrance of the Revolution of 1789, which 
brought the terror of so many years to a harmless heap of 
ruins. 

The inventor of the first subterranean sewers, Huguet 
Aubriot, Grovernor of Paris, built in 1369 that edifice of 
mysteries, the Bastille. For four centuries its name was 
a synonyme for violence and injustice and oppression, until 
riffht, which is not often the conqueror, subdued might, and 
the Bastille fell. On its site, from which fifteen streets di- 
verge, was erected, in 1793, a fountain representing Nature, 
and called the Fountain of Regeneration. A colossal ele- 
phant took its place, which, in like turn, was destroyed in 
1834. In 1840, Louis Philippe raised the Colonne de 
Juillet to the memory of those who fell in the defence of 
liberty in 1830, 27th, 28th, and 29th of July. A figure 
emblematical of Liberty, one of Dumont's sculptures, crowns 
the column. On the sides of the monument are the names 
of six hundred and fifteen citizens, victims of the dungeons 
of the Bastille, whose remains still lie in the vaults below the 
site, sharing a bed with those massacred in 1830, in 1848, 
and latterly, but, I am afraid, not lastly, in 1871. The Com- 
munists endeavored to blow up this magnificent bronze column 
with gunpowder and petroleum, but as they were obliged to 



IN PARIS. 77 

use the former in their own self-defence, the fire they had 
endeavored to originate produced no serious damage. On 
this lovely Sabbath morning of the 14th of July we attended 
service in the American Protestant Chapel, No. 31 E,ue de 
Berri, where Dr. Hitchcock presided. His text was the 10th 
chapter of Acts, 4th verse, and his sermon was a review of 
the good work that had been done since the organization of 
the mission. 

A pleasant walk, and another work of art commemorative 
of the. First Napoleon, entrances our gaze. This is the Arc 
de Triomphe de I'Etoile, considered the finest structure in 
the world. It shows bullet-marks as the only serious resuit 
of two besiegements ; but on the night of the 20tli of May, 
1871, heavy artillery was raised to the top, which is one 
hundred and sixty-two feet, by means of steam-power, and 
the strongest citadel of Paris, that of Mont Valerian, was 
bombarded by the Communists with terrible effect. The 
reliefs upon it represent Napoleon's victories truthfully, but 
intermixed with mystic designs, and the records of the victo- 
ries are to be seen on a row of shields above the entablature. 
One can read on the side arches the names of three hundred 
and eighty-four French generals who fell in different battles. 
Nothing can be seen within but the two hundred and forty- 
five steps by which we reach the summit and have a gorgeous 
panorama of Paris lying before us. Looking down at our 
feet, we count twelve avenues forming the radii of the circle, 
in which the Arc de Triomphe is the centre, and of these the 
Avenue du Bois de Boulogne and the Avenue des Champs 
Elysees are the finest. Letting the eye wander farther off, as 
sight grows upon us, we see the dark shadows of the Bois de 
Boulogne, the frowning terrace of Mont Valerian, the flaunt- 
ing flags of the Trocadero and the Champ de Mars, the pal- 
aces and churches, the simple towers of Notre Dame, and the 
Obelisque de Louqsor, which crowns the Place de la Con- 



78 WE FOUR. 

corde. Fifteen hundred years before Christ tliat column 
looked down upon the Egyptians at Thebes sitting at the 
banquets of kings ; it now marks the spot in the Place de la 
Concorde where nearly three thousand persons were guillo- 
tined during the reign of terror in 1793. Do the ghosts of 
Charlotte Corday, Marie Antoinette, Madame Elizabeth, Ma- 
dame Roland, Due D'Orleans, Robespierre, and Danton ever 
wander round that imposing square, meeting with others cut 
off also there, ere the sunset of life had come ? We could 
not think so in the warm glare of a July sun ; but the Arc 
de Triomphe sees sad sights, why not this ? It shares with 
the Colonne Yendome the honor of being a favorite resort 
of suicides. Monsieur A. being very anxious that his Ameri- 
can friends should not be ignorant of the names of the sur- 
rounding buildings, grew so energetic in his French volubility 
that a young gentleman stepped forward and offered to be an 
interpreter. We thanked him kindly, although we had been 
perfectly aware of our host's information before, and a lively 
chat in English soon ensued. I asked our new friend how 
he, a Frenchman, spoke our language so well. He replied 
that he had left his home for America when but fourteen 
years of age, arrived at New York without the slightest 
knowledge of an English word, travelled on to Cincinnati, 
Ohio, remained in that Western State nine years, and had re- 
turned to see his friends in the autumn of 1877 ; "but," he 
added, " as soon as my friends will let me go, I shall return 
to America." 

" Why," I replied, " would you leave this beautiful city? 
We have not such an enchanting place in all the United 
States as Paris." 

He shrugged his shoulders, — the unequivocal sign of a 
Frenchman, and said, in a low tone, " But you have a better 
government." The jealous eyes of a young French girl 
were on us, so he was obliged to leave, saying as he did so, 



IN PARIS. 79 

" Were it not for my friends here, I would spend the re- 
mainder of the day with you." And casting one lingering 
look at les dames Americaines, he descended the dark stair- 
way. And yet, that man had a mother in Paris ; ties of 
home, kindred, country, language, were all broken that he 
might be one of the free brotherhood of our Republic. 

The Champs Elysees is such a magnificent avenue that one 
feels as if walking was no longer a necessity, but an inspira- 
tion, the mental rises so far above the physical ; so we felt as 
we promenaded its broad pavement. We were shown the 
Palais de I'Elysee, the official residence of Marshal de Mac- 
Mahon, then President of the French Republic ; but, lying 
most of his time in a beastly state of intoxication, we do not 
wonder that his removal was the next act on the Parisian 
stage. Once in that palace Madame de Pompadour reigned 
supreme, the favorite of a king ; but monarchies are falling 
now, and " uneasy lies the head that wears a crown." We 
entered the Palais de 1' Industrie, in which were exhibited 
modern works of art. This edifice was erected for the great 
International Exhibition in 1855, and has been used since for 
an annual display. We had been revelling so much in the 
antique and the Renaissance that it was a pleasure to look at 
works of only living artists. We are not critics enough to say 
how they compare with older schools of art, but their fresher 
coloring was a relief from the dark, cracked paintings of the 
past. I have but space to speak of a few, for Pomona was 
quite ill, so we had to walk hurriedly through those charm- 
ing galleries, crowded as they were with the citizens and citi- 
zenesses of Paris. One painting represented a vulture hold- 
ing in his talons the body of a dead girl. He was looking 
far off with his piercing eye, as if a rival to his feast was 
already on the wing, and every second his claws bent fiercer 
into that pure white flesh ; so it appeared to our imagina- 
tions. Another picture was a group of singers on a stage. 



80 WE FOUR. 

Half-sized figures they were, and tlie only glow upon ttose 
faces was the reflection of the imaginary footlights ; but they 
were striking, peering out from the semi-darkness of the 
stage ; each mouth curved in position of song, one felt, as if, 
by listening attentively, we could catch the strain as it fell 
from their lips. Another study of the reflection of light rep- 
resented a young girl ascending a stairway with a lighted 
candle in her hand. " A Fight in an Ale-House," though 
not a pleasing study, was a masterpiece in its delineation of 
the varied passions of human nature. Leaving the Palais de 
rindustrie, we passed a circular building called the Panorama, 
as it represents the Siege of Paris. 

As we had seen the same exhibition in our own city, — 
Philadelphia, — we preferred walking through the handsomely 
laid-out gardens of the Champs Elysees to the Tuileries. 
The garden was laid out by Le Notre in the time of Louis 
XIV., and had been originally an orchard. It is now a per- 
fect fairy-land, with its varied fountains, beds of flowers, 
statues of bronze and marble ; but to-day even its beauty was 
swallowed up by the immense crowds that were there on this 
holiday. We were just entering as several societies with 
their devices and banners and music also arrived, and, while 
the scene was imposing, it became rather uncomfortable. 
We listened for a while to the operatic airs given by superior 
musicians on the staging erected in the middle of the garden, 
and then wandered away to the desolate palace. 

" Si triste !''' said Madame. 

^'- Si triste P^ echoed I; for a shadow fell over the once 
sun-lighted scene as we gazed on the mournful ruins before 
us. Was it not resting under the baneful influence of its 
foundress, Catherine de Medicis, who took a ^i7e-yard — from 
whence it derives its name — to erect upon it this splendid 
palace for herself, while her son, Charles IX., remained at 
the Louvre? Henry IV., Louis XIIL, and Louis XIV. all 



IN PARIS. 81 

aided its embellisliment, but August 10, 1792, saw the hap- 
less Louis XYI. and liis wife driven from it and the place 
captured. July 29, 1830, was another signal day for its de- 
struction, and Louis Philippe, who remodelled it, fled in 1848 
from the scene of devastation around him. It received its 
death-blow in 1871, and now, workmen are engaged in re- 
moving it from the spot that shall know it no more. One 
could not gaze on those blackened walls and broken windows 
without heaving a sigh of regret for its by-gone splendor. 

LES TUILERIES. 

Ruins of what once was fair ! 

Ruins not made by Time ! 
All that was grand is prostrate there, 

Wrecked in its glowing prime. 
From broken windows gazed once 

Those of the blood of kings; 
The tessellated pavement now 

To plebeian footsteps rings. 

Fame ! so facile in thy faith, — 

A breath, and it is gone ! 
** Le roi est mort !" scarce falls away 

Ere " Vive le roi!" is begun. 
Empires, then republics, rise j 

Like game of battledore. 
The shuttlecock of power flies 

E'en to the dungeon's floor. 

Sad Tuileries ! thy ruins show 

The beauty that was thine ; 
The Pride of Empires will in thee 

Still find a fitting shrine. 
No plebeian hand can take away 

The wealth that centuries gave; 
The archangel's trump alone can knell 

The last eternal grave ! 

France ! we could love thee for thy face, 
Were it not the mask you wear, 



82 WE FOUR. 

Which hides the cruel heart beneath, 

That ever beateth there. 
Tread softly, strangers, lest you wake 

The heart that's slumb'ring now, 
Or else its beat will bring a flush 

On the young Republic's brow. 

And once again o'er sunny France 

The serpent's trail is seen, — 
Destroying all that's beautiful, 

Red'ning the vineyards green, — 
Till every church within the land 

With sepulchres is fraught, 
And martyred bones of those who died 

For liberty of thought. 

Leaving this sad monument of so many historical reminis- 
cences, we went into the gardens of the Palais Royale. This 
palace, originally called the Palace of the Cardinal, was com- 
menced by Richelieu in 1629, but so many changes have 
been made that it is doubtful if Richelieu himself would rec- 
ognize it. The covered galleries around contain very hand- 
some bazaars, and, as jewelry is the most extensive merchan- 
dise, the shops in the evening are one blaze of light. The 
palace suffered in 1871 from fire, but fortunately the enclosed 
promenades and the brilliant " magasins^'' escaped the flames. 
Going through the garden to the covered pavilions, where 
ices, coffee, and wines are served, we were much amused at 
the perfect ahandonment of the French in their amuse- 
ments. Girls from eighteen to twenty years of age were 
playing battledore and shuttlecock in the broad avenues, and 
no one appeared interested in the game except those engaged 
in it. They have arrived at the sublime art of " minding 
their own business." 

After taking our raspberryade and cake we made the 
tour of the magasins, finally entering the grand Restaurant. 
The Palais Roy ale had been the theatre of many plays, 



IN PARIS. 83 

not enhancing much to its reputation, and here were cele- 
brated suppers given to the beaux and belles of an immoral 
court. Now the heel of the Republic is on the monarchy's 
brow, and the feet of the bourgeois tread the palaces of 
royalty. We ordered dinner, and so amusing was the sight 
of elegant rooms filled with diners, while les jargons, dressed 
in roundabouts and white aprons, and slippers on their feet, — 
so different from the English waiters, with their swallow-tailed 
dress-coats and white neckties, — flitted about like white- 
breasted birds, that I lost my soup by gazing at the novelty 
around me. My ros-hif came near sharing the same fate, but 
I clutched the plate frantically with one hand while I warned 
off the waiter with my fork, much to the amusement of those 
around me. 

But the sun is setting now, and I never see it disappear in 
the western horizon without sending with it a loving thought 
of my friends across the broad Atlantic ; but we have had a 
busy day and are growing weary, and still a long distance is 
before us to our boarding-house. We gave one more glance 
to the former home of the Princess Clothilde, and feeling 
satisfied that palaces and cottages were all the same to us, 
that we could leave the former without a price upon our 
heads and reside in the latter without a fear of being dis- 
covered, we entered the omnibus, not only content, but glad, 
that we were natives of the United States. 

Monday morning rose clear and bright for our first visit to 
the Exposition. The cars and omnibuses, like those in Eng- 
land, are limited to a certain number of passengers, — both 
inside and on top, — and at different corners of the street are 
offices in which you procure a ticket, with a number which 
entitles you to a seat, provided there is one to be had. One 
day, in waiting as each crowded car passed me, I was accosted 
by a Frenchwoman, who wished me to exchange tickets with 
her, as hers was number 23 and mine was 14, — the drift of her 



84 WE FOUR. 

questions was plainly to be seen. I began to quiz tbe woman 
in order to make lier say the purport of lier inquiries, but 
sbe was too smart a Frencliwoman to be caught in such a 
trap, and endeavored to prove to me that the exchange would 
redound to my advantage. 

" I will exchange with you, not because you are right, but 
I am going up to the other depot." 

Her eyes sparkled as she asked me to give her both 
numbers. 

" No," I replied, " I will exchange with you, as I said," 
giving her my ticket and taking hers from her hand ; " but I 
do not understand why, as I am a stranger in Paris." 

" Oh, yes," she replied, " I see you are a Spaniard. How 
long have you been in Paris ?" I could not answer her for 
a few moments, as I had too strong a disposition to laugh at 
the figure presented to my mind, — sunburned to a brownish 
tinge, I acknowledged, but blue eyes and brown hair are not 
types of a native of sunny Spain ; so I hardly considered 
myself complimented, therefore I disavowed the Spain and 
owned my native country. 

She expressed much surprise, praised my pronunciation of 
French, and retired with her exchanged number ; and as for 
myself, I went up to the first station, passed about eight cars 
already filled, obtained the first seat in an empty one, and ar- 
rived at the Exposition at about twelve o'clock, having been 
all the morning in my travels. It is impossible for any city 
to have an exposition whose general bearings will strike the 
beholder with magnificence as it was done in Philadelphia. 
The park itself, in its picturesque beauty, far excels any other 
park, and in Paris the same want was felt, the want of space 
that exists in all the large cities of Europe. To be equal in 
beauty to the Centennial, the Paris Exposition wanted the 
vistas. We know the poet says, " 'Tis distance lends enchant- 
ment to the view," and the magician's wand called up scenes 



IN PARIS. 85 

in too great rapidity to give the proper encliantment. We 
had five principal buildings, which were grouped together in 
one in Paris, viz., Champs de Mars. We had State buildings 
and other houses, making about fifty prominent edifices, while 
the intervening space was dotted with bazaars. We had 
fountains of rare beauty, and they were so conveniently far 
apart that one did not detract from the tastefulness of the 
other ; but in the Paris grounds they were too near together 
to be impressive. It is said that this contraction of dimen- 
sions showed the fine French taste in using up every portion 
of ground to a beautiful advantage. We acknowledge this, 
nor do we wish that anything we have said should be con- 
strued as a deterioration of the Paris Exposition. On the 
contrary, it was charming, but admits of no comparisons with 
the one in Philadelphia. Our Centennial reminded us of 
Aladdin's Palace, stored with all the treasures of an old 
world ; with the industry of the new ; with the result of the 
growth of centuries ; with the spontaneous productions of a 
day ; with utility ; with beauty ; with art ; with mechanism ; 
all carried from the ends of the globe and dropped in the 
midst of a primeval forest. In America nature and art go 
hand in hand ; in Europe, the latter sister has the control, and 
forces her more beautiful sister to cater to her charms. 

Kich mould was brought to supplement the coarser earth 
of the Paris enclosure. Stimulating phosphates were used 
to insure the straggling grass to a denser verdure ; twenty- 
four thousand cubic metres of rock were quarried to make 
the Trocadero hill symmetrical with the Champ de Mars ; 
there were winding walks, fountains, artificial mounds, orna- 
mental trees, parterres of flowers, cozy dells, trickling rivulets, 
silvery cascades, but no romantic spots where lovers of soli- 
tude could linger and survey the picturesque beauty around 
them, as could be found in any part of the Centennial grounds. 
There is a wealth of flowers in Europe, and while foreigners 

8 



86 WE FOUR. 

upbraided me not only for our non-cultivation of God's sweet 
messengers, but also, for the love of tliem, I thought to my- 
self, if they grew with us in such luxuriance with such little 
care, we might far outrival them in our gorgeous gardens. 

The " Chateau d'eau" is the finest ornamental water- works 
extant, its complete mechanism enables it to answer to the 
name given it by Americans, the " Miniature Niagara^^'' and 
well sets oiF the superb building, the Trocadero. This latter 
edifice is to remain, adding another to the list of the palaces 
of Paris. Its spacious hall, capable of holding eight thousand 
persons, will be used, as during the Exposition, for concerts, 
and its saloons will form " Galeries de I'Art Retrospective," 
— a suitable relic of the Exposition, a collection that will 
form a history of the five stages of society. I was very 
much interested in the ancient French history that could be 
read here in antique souvenirs ; there was a watch that was 
worn by Henry III. in 1580 ; there was the watch of Robes- 
pierre, the dethroner of kings ; there was another in the 
shape of a cross, and he who wore it should have often 
thought of Him who, having laid down the cross, will come 
soon to put all times and seasons under His feet. 

We saw the sword which was presented to the Marquis de 
Lafayette by the grateful people whom he helped to their 
independence, and his memory we still cherish, Leaving this 
saloon, we wandered into the Moorish courts of old Granada, 
and were soon surrounded by relics of Spain in her ancient 
days of grandeur. Next we found ourselves face to face with 
groups of life-like figures from the northern shores of Europe, 
and here a ludicrous scene occurred. A peasant's hut was rep- 
resented : the housewife had on an exceedingly high cap and 
the stifi" dress of her caste ; we were looking at it with interest, 
when a sneering laugh jarred on my ear. I turned to look 
for the owner of that laugh, and there stood a woman of some 
fifty years, and weighing about one hundred and sixty pounds, 



IN PARIS. 87 

dressed in a black woollen skirt, short to lier ankles, with a 
peasant bodice of black velvet over a white Swiss waist. 
From each shoulder to her wrists were chains of silver, which 
terminated in bracelets ; around her neck were three graded 
necklaces of the same metal, and a fantastic head-dress of 
filigree and gilt completed her attire. I looked at the bediz- 
ened human figure, and then at the more simply attired wax 
one, and wondered which should be the ridiculed. 

"La Rue des. Nations" forms a beautiful frontage for the 
different courts, but it was rather " guess-work" to determine 
a house by the fagade. The style erected by the United 
States might be certainly called an international one, for it 
might be put up anywhere without the least possible show of 
objection. For real beauty of design the Netherlands stands 
first for her charming cottage. Holland appeared to be the 
only one with an individuality, and it has a front of an archi- 
tecture of two hundred years ago, but its very quaintness, its 
dark-red brick and high slate roof, enchants one. 

Grreat Britain, as one letter- writer said, " occupies nearly 
two-sevenths of the whole space devoted to foreign exhibitors," 
and therefore required more frontage on the " Street of Na- 
tions," so she has erected five houses, — one of Queen Anne's 
reign, another of Queen Elizabeth's, another of William III.'s, 
one style used in England from the fifteenth to the seven- 
teenth century, and another style of a nondescript character. 

Belgium put up the most expensive house, but the effect is 
lost by its exceeding heaviness. 

Italy is rather too classical, or rather, in her architecture 
there is a straining after classic detail, which detracts from 
the harmony of the design. 

The view from the beginning of the street, with the many 
different houses, their diversified flags waving to the breeze, 
the varied costumes of the pedestrians, formed a picture not 
soon to be effaced from our memory. 



88 WE FOUR. 

Entering tlie Champs de Mars, we found the great attrac- 
tion to be the collection loaned by the Prince of Wales, — the 
presents received by him during his visit to India, — jewelled 
sword-hilts, jewelled scabbards, jewelled saddles, jewelled har- 
ness, jewelry in all forms, and cashmere in all designs, models 
in ivory of Burmese temples, elegant pieces of furniture in 
ebony and sandal-wood, forming a most unique collection. 
The French and Austrian different displays of glassware ap- 
peared like crystal temples enshrining the embodiment of 
light, so glittering were their departments. 

As usual, the Americans took the lead in useful works, and, 
as we have learned since our return, obtained most of the 
prizes. I was asked by a Frencbman " why we bad not sent 
over to the Exposition, our Corliss engine ?" He seemed very 
much disappointed at not seeing that triumph of American 
skill. The display of machinery was not as extensive as that 
given in our country, while the fine arts and the merely beau- 
tiful things were by far the larger in comparison with ours. 

The exhibitors were not at all pleased with the results of 
their labors in Paris as compared with the like labor in Phila- 
delphia. Bitter complaints were made of so few purchasers, 
and of even those few the majority were Americans. Passing 
down one of the avenues, we were attracted by a Turkish tent 
and one of its inmates working diligently at a sandal. 

" This reminds me of the Centennial," was said by one of 
the ladies of our party. Instantly a man sprang from the 
floor, "Where he had been sitting cross-legged upon a rug, with 
his coffee and pipe and other luxuries of a noonday repast 
before him, and comi: g forward, showing a handsome coun- 
tenance beaming with smiles, and stretching out his delicately- 
formed hand in greeting, said, " How d'ye do, Philadelphie ?" 
After a few seconds of conversation, he said, " I want a talk 
with you ; you come back in one hour and we talk. I punish 
my stomach now." The last clause was to me incomprehen- 



IN PARIS. 89 

sible, had not Clio explained that lie had made use of the 
same phrase in 1876, and she then deciphered its mysticism 
to mean, " I am replenishing my stomach." 

On our return, he showed us the goods he was exhibiting, 
and we were surprised at the great difference in price from 
what he asked when in " PhiladelpJiie.'''' He explained that 
custom-house duties made a difference, and besides, no matter 
what he asked he could not sell. "The French are mean, 
very mean ; I no like to sell to them ; but Amerique so better. 
I make plenty money in Amerique ; I make a pillow of my 
money" (bank-notes we supposed) " at night in Philadelphie, 
and lay my head upon it" (suiting the action to the word). " I 
no like it here, I like Amerique." The same story, only with 
different modulations, was told by all we met who had been 
at the Centennial, and we could notice for ourselves the 
absence of buyers. The bazaars outside, which were among 
the most attractive of the shows during the Centennial, were 
in Paris well surrounded by lookers-on, but purchasers were 
scarce. We recognized many familiar faces among the 
Chinese, Japanese, and Syrians as those whom we had seen 
in 1876. One of the novelties was the Tunisian Coffee-House, 
a canvas tent, enclosed by a light fence and surrounded by 
shrubbery. The music (?), shade of Mozart preserve us ! 
came stealing out on to the ambient air in doleful, discordant 
strains, exciting small boys to endeavor to creep in beneath 
the barriers for just one glance, and influencing those of larger 
growth to peer curiously between the dense evergreen. We 
entered the charmed spot with our escort, an Armenian Chris- 
tian from Jerusalem, who ordered cups of coffee for his 
American lady friends. This beverage was prepared sepa- 
rately in five miniature tin coffee-pots, each holding a good 
tablespoonful and no more. Before us, on the small table, 
was placed a porcelain cup of the same Liliputian capacity, 
and our Moresco waiter, towering above us, poured the sable 

8* 



90 WE FOUR. 

coifee througli a long spout from the miniature pot to the 
Liliputian cup. No sugar nor cream was allowed to spoil 
the blackness of darkness before us, and I own it would have 
been extremely palatable were it not for the coffee-grounds, 
which, in my cup more than the others, were very thick. 
This refreshment was enlivened by the hideous chorus of 
which I spoke, which was given by four Tunisian youths in 
costume, seated cross-legged on a divan, each with an instru- 
ment, whose capacity for music resembled the banjos, tri- 
angles, bones, and tambourines of a negro minstrel troupe. 
They accompanied the instruments with a rude refrain, the 
words of which might or might not have been their mother- 
tongue, as, listening to it as a language, it was still unintelli- 
gible. The discordancy of sound was caused by the apparent 
exertion of each individual to sing in quite a different tune 
from his fellow, and the facial movements and bodily gestures 
rendered the whole scene not only ludicrous but fascinating. 

We had been told to go early to the Exposition so that we 
could leave in the afternoon before the crowd started, for the 
terrible systematic tramway allowed no pushing. On coming 
out, we saw so many persons around the ticket-office that a 
bright idea struck us ; in fact, we determined to practise a 
ruse. Putting on the most guileless countenances we could 
raise for the better accomplishment of our stratagem, we 
stepped upon the platform of a car. The conductor, in his 
shabby blue pantaloons, or rather overalls, which they looked 
most like, and his roundabout of the same empyreal hue, 
asked, in the most suave tones, for our numbers ; but we 
comprehended not, and made a determined front for the en- 
trance. One of the gens d'armes interposed, but we were 
dumb to his authority ; so, provoked at our stupidity, he said 
to the conductor, "Let them in; they're English." We 
would like to have owned to the stars and stripes, but we 
were obliged to accept our position as Englishwomen. This 



IN PARIS. 91 

scheme worked so admirably tliat on the next day we visited 
the Exposition we tried it again, but failed most signally, the 
gen d'arme insisting on our obtaining the "numero." 

One day when we were riding up the Rue de Lafayette 
we made a place beside us for a gentleman, who accidentally 
had entered thinking there loas a vacant seat. This roused 
the indignation of a lady opposite, who, with two little chil- 
dren, was taking up enough room to have seated six proper- 
proportioned adults, and to all her vehement protestations and 
earnest gesticulations we appeared to be unconscious, appar- 
ently not understanding what all this commotion meant. It 
seemed to amuse our new fellow-traveller very much, but as 
he was comfortably seated, he took very little other notice of 
the haranguer. Whether the earnest defender of car-rights 
informed the authorities of the derelict conductor we shall 
never know. 

Tuesday^ July 16, 1878. — A warm summer morning, and 
after being awakened in the " wee sma' hours" by the masons 
at their work on the opposite side of the street, we hardly 
felt prepared, even after our cliocolat au lait^ for a walk to La 
Butte Chaument, which is a picturesque park in what is 
known as La Yillette, formerly in the suburbs of Paris, but 
now within the limits of the city. It contains fifty -five acres, 
and is a fine exhibition of art imitating nature. A cascade, 
in all the wildness of the scenery of our own native land, fell 
into a deep bed, thus forming a lake of limpid water. It was 
crossed in one place by a light wire bridge, and in another by 
a stone bridge, which leads one to an island cut out of a 
granite rock. The summit of this rock (which is sixty feet 
high) is crowned with a belvedere, called the " Temple of the 
Sibyl," in imitation of Grecian temples, from which can be 
obtained a perfect view of Paris and its surroundings. Be- 
neath the cascade is a grotto with sparkling stalactites, and 
climbing from height to height one comes unconsciously upon 



92 WE FOUR. 

tlie most beautiful sylvan spots, bright with varied flowers. 
But even liere, in this fairy dell, comes history with her truth- 
ful finger, and, pointing to the wooded cliffs, tells us that this 
park and the Pere La Chaise were the two last positions occu- 
pied by the Communists. But on the 27th of May, 1871, 
they were obliged to capitulate from the park, compelled by 
the cannonading from Montmartre, although the shells filled 
with petroleum which they threw into different parts of the 
city were increasing the destruction around. 

Beturning to our boarding-house, we ate bountifully of our 
noontide meal, and then, armed with tickets, proceeded to the 
memorable spot in Paris, the Palais de Justice, with its en- 
closed Conciergerie, and Ste. Chapelle. Fortunately, the last 
two escaped the petroleum fire, when the greater part of the 
palace was a mass of ruins from the flames. This handsome 
building, which it is, with its improvements, was formerly 
used as a residence of the French kings, but is now occuj)ied 
by Justice in name, and, we sincerely hope, in fact. We were 
very glad to see that the square tower of ancient architecture 
was also spared from the fire. It is called the " Tour de 
I'Horloge," and the dial in its turret is very convenient for 
the passer-by. Facing, as the Palais does, the Pont Neuf, it 
occupies a very prominent position, as that bridge is to Paris 
what the London Bridge is to London, — the longest and most 
frequented. Pont Neuf is divided by a point of L'De de la 
Cite, and has for its centre a bronze statue of Henry IV. on 
a pedestal of white marble, with two bas-reliefs in bronze of 
scenes in the life of the monarch. 

L'lle de la Cite is formed by two arms of the Seine, and 
embraces the Palais de Justice, Notre Dame, the Morgue, and 
the Hotel Dieu, one of the oldest hospitals in Paris, dating 
its history back to the time of Clovis. 

Entering one of the halls in the Palais de Justice, which we 
found was the Cour d' Assises, or the Central Criminal Court, 



IN PARIS. 93 

we noticed a great many persons collected, and on inquiring 
the cause, were told that a case had been tried and the verdict 
of the jury would be received to-day ; so we waited also, exam- 
ining the lofty room, with its handsome panelling and fresco- 
work, in the interval. Pretty soon the barristers came in with 
black gowns and caps, and the judges in robes of ermine. 
After some light conversation and promenading by these offi- 
cials, a door on the right of the seat of justice opened, and the 
jurymen filed in with their attendant officer ; a few moments 
after the criminal, guarded by two gens d'armes, entered by a 
door on the left-hand side. He was a man over whose head 
some sixty-odd winters had scattered their snows. He was 
dressed in the blue blouse of his class, and he was bowed, not 
alone with years of time, but years of work, and yet this man, 
whose wife sat there weeping, and a young man and girl, prob- 
ably the children, were beside her, had been arraigned before 
the court for attacking another man with a knife, cutting him 
so dreadfully in the face that the sight of both eyes was gone. 
The jury found the old man guilty, and, after a lengthy address, 
the judge sentenced him to five years' imprisonment. As he 
passed out between his jailers we thought, " Will he ever again 
tread the streets of Paris ?" It seemed to us as we looked 
upon his white, wrinkled face, and still whiter hair and bowed 
form, that as he had taken from another the last look of earth, 
would not the angel of death close his eyes soon to life itself? 
The officers soon cleared the court-room, so we betook our- 
selves to the Court of Exchequer, but there was nothing going 
on there, so we wandered through the Tribunal de Commerce. 
This is reached by a circular stairway, ornamented by alle- 
gorical statues of Art, Trade, and Commerce. The Audience 
Chamber is decorated with paintings by Robert Fleury, and 
is a most magnificent hall, while the Insolrent Court is very 
plain with its simple panelling of oak. This building is con- 
sidered one of the finest in modern Paris. It was completed 



94 WE FOUR. 

in 18G6, and its architecture is of tlie style of tlie Renais- 
sance. The ancient prison of the Palais de Justice, called 
the Conciergerie, can only be seen with a permit from the 
prefect of the police. This we had obtained, and were 
ushered into a low-ceilinged room, but so large that nine 
stone pillars were placed at proper distances to support the 
rooms above. The windows were heavily barred, and as the 
iron door clanged on its hinges, a chill from the dampness of 
the stone walls fell upon us ; but to how many did a feeling 
come of the chill of despair ! Leaving this antechamber and 
passing through a dark corridor, we reached another iron- 
barred door, which opened into the cell in which Marie An- 
toinette, the unfortunate queen, was imprisoned from August 
1 to October 26, 1793. The room we stood in hardly de- 
served the name of room, so small was it, and yet it had been 
enlarged for the accommodation of visitors since the royal 
lady left it. The altar at which she worshipped still stood 
there, with the crucifix upon it, and before that view of the 
divine agony how must the giddy pomp of royalty have faded in 
Marie Antoinette's sight ! Adjoining this closet is the present 
sacristy of Ste. Chapelle, another small apartment, spacious 
enough for the purpose, but rather cramped when Robes- 
pierre and his seventeen companions were confined in it the 
night before their execution, July 28, 1794. In the Salle des 
Pas Perdus, on the right side, stands a monument erected to 
Malesherbes, who defended Louis XVI. before the Revolu- 
tionary tribunal, and who took the step from this prison to 
the guillotine with Danton, Bailly, and Madame Roland. The 
last royal prisoner was Napoleon III., who was confined in the 
Conciergerie for a short time. Will France remain a republic, 
or will monarchs still rise and fall upon her bosom? are ques- 
tions yet sealed in the book of fate. 

Two hundred and eighty-eight prisoners were massacred by 
the mob in September, 1792 ; verily, indeed, through the 



IN PARIS. 95 

streets of Paris ran blood ! Ste. Cliapelle, where tlie Giron- 
dists banqueted the night before their execution, is the most 
perfect specimen for its size of Gothic architecture in Paris. 
It was built in the thirteenth century by Pierre de Monte- 
reau to contain the relics purchased by St. Louis from Jean 
de Brienne, Bishop of Jerusalem and his son-in-law, Emperor 
Baldwin, of Byzantium, for two million francs. These relics 
were the supposed fragments of the true cross, the crown of 
thorns, the garment of our Saviour, for which the soldiers 
cast lots, and the head of the spears which pierced His side. 
The sacristy of Notre Dame contains them now, for after 
1791, when liberty and religion were both abused, this gem 
of a chapel was used as a club-house, then a corn-house, then 
a receptacle for papers of the law-courts ; but in 1837 Louis 
Philippe had it repaired at the cost of the relic price, two 
million of francs. Fortunately, it escaped the conflagration 
of 1871, which destroyed so much of the Palais de Justice. 
Service is performed here only once a year, at the opening of 
the law-courts in November. 

This seems to me the proper place to speak of the Chapelle 
Expiatore, at the corner of the Boulevard Haussmann and 
Hue d'Anjou St. Honore, which stands on a part of the old 
cemetery of the Madeleine, and erected by Louis XYIII. as 
a monument to Louis XVI. and Marie Antoinette, his wife ; 
for in that enclosure, without ceremony, were buried their 
bodies and many of the Swiss Guard, who so nobly defended 
them. It is built to represent an ancient sepulchre, and 
in consequence is particularly gloomy. The remains, how- 
ever, of the royal couple have been removed to St. Denis, 
where, in the Benedictine Abbey, they lie with their ances- 
tors, the monarchs of France, — the last occupants of the 
princely vaults have been Louis XYIII. and the Due de 
Berry. 

The Conciergerie is still used as a prison, and one of the 



96 WE FOUR. 

police force opened a window, wliich overlooked tlie court- 
yard, and showed us the prisoners at their supper ; that is, 
each man was handed a piece of bread as he passed through 
the door, and also a tin cup, which he could use at the hy- 
drant to quench his thirst. We were obliged to withdraw in 
a few moments, as the men became aware of our proximity 
by some instinct, and found our window a more attractive 
sight to them than we had discovered in their court-yard. 
Leaving this place of so many recollections, we stepped out 
under the beautiful blue sky and saw before us the Quai aux 
Fleurs, where the flower-market is held on Wednesday and 
Saturday mornings, — a contrast to the gloom of the darkness 
of humanity from which we had just emerged. 

Our next visit was to Ste. G-enevieve, or Pantheon, as it 
was most generally termed. It stands on the most elevated 
ground of Paris, and has been a barometer of the feelings 
which at different times possesses the city. It replaced 
an ancient church of the same name, that of the patron 
saint of Paris, and was erected in 1764 by Soufflot, at the 
instigation of Madame Pompadour. Twenty-eight years 
after the National Assembly gave it the more liberal name 
of Pantheon, and over the doorway we read, "Aux Grrands 
Hommes la Patrie reconnaissante." In 1822 religion was 
the ruling spirit, so the barometer indicated a church. Nine 
years after the atmosphere darkened with atheistical clouds, and 
it changed into a Pantheon ; but in 1853 the sun of religion 
again arose and Ste. Genevieve became the title again. It is 
built in the cruciform, and the height from the pavement to 
the top of the dome is two hundred and eighty-one feet, 
making it a splendid target at the time of the Prussian bom- 
bardment in 1871. Although the shape, as I mentioned, is 
the type of the Christian faith, there is very little " out- 
ward sign of an inward grace" about the building. The 
pediment above the portico contains a piece of sculpture by 



IN PARIS. 97 

David d' Angers, and represents France giving garlands to 
her illustrious sons. To the left of this group is Liberty, 
guarding these illustrious sons, such as Malesherbes, Mira- 
beau, Monge, Fenelon, Manuel, and Carnot, the leader in the 
first Kevolution, Berthollet, and Laplace, with David, Bichat, 
Lafliyette, Cuvier, Voltaire, and Rousseau. To the left, with 
an emblematic figure of History, we see Napoleon Bonaparte, 
with soldiers of the Republic and the Empire. The entrance 
has before it two sandstone groups, — one in which Ste. Glen- 
evieve is represented as saving Paris from the ravages of the 
Huns by appeasing Attila, their leader ; the other is St. 
Kemi baptizing Clovis. 

We ascend eleven steps to the portico, which is supported 
by Corinthian columns. The same style of columns inside 
support the galleries around the spacious rotunda. The three 
handsome altars in the choir and transept, and copies from 
the Vatican of Raphael's frescoes, alone preserve the sacred- 
ness of the edifice and redeem it from total pantheism. 

The chef-d'oeuvre of Ste. Genevieve is the cupola, for the 
painting of which Gros received one hundred thousand 
francs and the title of baron. I almost forgot to mention 
four figures painted by Gerard, relics of the Pantheon 
days, viz. : " La Patrie, La Justice, La Gloire, and La Mort." 
Beneath the church are vaults, the monuments and funeral 
urns being arranged like the tombs at Pompeii. But in the 
same manner that the church was desecrated at different in- 
tervals, so these dwelling-places of the dead have been dis- 
turbed. Mirabeau and Marat were placed there in 1791 and 
1793 ; but while the former's body was decently interred in 
the cemetery of Pere La Chaise, that of the latter was thrown 
into the sewers. 

Monuments are erected to Voltaire and Rousseau, but their 
tombs are empty, and the secret of their final resting-place 
has never been discovered. Lannes, Lagrange, Bougainville, 
E 9 



98 WE FOUR. 

and Soufflot are supposed to be still below tlieir momiments. 
De Winter, a Dutch admiral, has a cenotaph to his memory. 
We were witnesses here to two christenings and one funeral 
of a child, the numerous little chapels around the main body 
of the church being A^ery convenient for varieties of service. 
North of this church is the Library Ste. Genevieve, erected 
in 1850, — it being in the centre of the students' quarter 
makes it a great resort, especially in the evenings. 

The monastery of Ste. Grenevieve, east of the church, 
founded by Clovis, but subject to so many alterations that 
only the original bell-tower remains, is now the " College of 
Henry lY." The old refectory is now used as a chapel, and 
in its sacristy stands a statue of the patroness saint. 

From this building we went to the Church of St. Etienne 
du Mont. At one time the burying-ground of the royal 
family of Clovis alone separated the two edifices, as St. 
Etienne was a " sort of chapel of ease',' to the monastery. 
One guide-book tells us this church was commenced in 1121, 
thus making it the oldest in Paris, as a curious square tower, 
with a circular turret, is the architecture of the twelfth cen- 
tury, but the greater part dates only to the fifteenth and six- 
teenth centuries. The interior arrangement was, to us, the 
most singular, — the roof was vaulted, the pillars round, sup- 
porting galleries, while spiral staircases were the means of 
access to the choir. The rood-screen was pointed out to us as 
the finest and most elaborate work of its kind in the city. 
The design of the whole was quite unique, and it seems 
almost impossible to give a good conception of it with pen 
and ink. The relics here are very interesting, — a sepulchral 
urn containing the holy ashes of Ste. Grenevieve, although 
History says that in the Age of Reason in Paris these me- 
morials were " scattered to the iviiidsJ' A representation of 
the Holy Sepulchre in terra-cotta is shown, — a very old affiiir 
indeed. We also read the two mural epitaphs to Pascal and 



IN PARIS. 99 

Racine. Boileau was the autlior of tlie latter. We stopped 
here also at one of the smaller chapels to oversee the chris- 
tening of a young Parisian. It was a warm summer day, and 
leaving the pleasant coolness of the stone floors for the pave- 
ments on which the sun had been basking for hours was not 
an agreeable change, so we took our seats at a table before 
the door of a cafe and called for — raspberryade, and while 
we sipped it, were amused at the gay throng of passers-by. 
Being now refreshed, we sought shelter from the afternoon 
sun, and looking around, the Luxembourg garden invited us 
to its romantic shades. I have seen nothing in Paris that 
equals it in beauty. Along the terrace are marble statues of 
twenty queens of France, and against its stone wall parties 
of Communists were placed to be shot in May, 1871. On 
descending to the lower gardens, we find the Nursery on the 
one side and the Botanical Gardens on the other, the former 
containing five hundred different varieties of vines and roses, 
the latter is used as an illustration for lectures during the 
summer season. The centre of the garden is adorned with 
fine statues, placed there during the reign of Louis Philippe. 
On the eastern side is the Fontaine de Medicis, named in 
honor of Mary de Medicis, who built the palace in 1612, on 
land purchased from the Duke de Luxembourg ; the classical 
design is not considered, I believe, by artists in very excellent 
taste nor of execution, although by Desbrosses ; being a rep- 
resentation of two recumbent figures, Acis and Gralatea, dis- 
covered by Polyphemus ; the malevolence displayed on the 
latter' s countenance is* very finely portrayed, but the pictu- 
resque surroundings, the sad fate of the Medicis family, 
throws a veil of romance over all which defies criticism. 

Unfortunately, we were late in entering the palace, and as 
the doors were closed at five p.m., we could only give a cursory 
glance around us. The State Apartments are now occupied 
by the Prefet de la Seine, and, therefore, are not open to 



100 WE FOUR. 

visitors, but we visited the Sculpture and Grand Galleries. 
The latter contains the works of living artists, which are 
transferred, ten years after the artist's death, to the Louvre. 
The one the most thrilling to us, on account of its sympathy 
with the very events that had been recalled to our minds by 
the places of interest which we had just visited, was " L' Appel 
des Condamnes," by C. L. Miiller. It represented the hall 
of the Conciergerie, in which the prisoners were assembled 
to hear the fatal roll-call, and what adds to the interest of 
the picture is the fact that the prominent figures are correct 
likenesses. The poet Andre Chenier is represented seated on 
the right-hand side of the picture, listening for his call to 
death, but it came not there. One woman has heard hers, 
and the agony depicted on her countenance we shall never 
forget. Another one, whose saint-like face lifts her above 
the passionate tumult around, has her hands clasped together 
in an attitude of prayer, as if her soul was saying, " Father, 
take away this cup from me ; nevertheless not what I will, 
but what thou wilt." Horace Vernet has contributed, by 
far, the larger number of paintings, and his choice of subjects, 
mostly historical, is much admired. 

But we see the art students are gathering up their working 
materials, and an officer at the door in a waiting posture, 
speaks by his attitude that our time is up. He has disturbed 
us just while we were having an animated conversation with 
one of the copyists, who, although his English was defective, 
yet was able to give us an art-view of some of the pictures 
through his talented eyes. In writing this, I described first the 
garden of the Luxembourg — in our visit, we sauntered through 
it after visiting the gallery, just the most pleasant joart of the 
day, approaching the sunset hour. South of the garden, in 
the alley leading to the Observatory, is a statue of Marshal 
Ney, erected in 1853. On this very spot he received his 
death, having been ordered to be shot by the Chamber of 



IN PARIS. 101 

Peers. He had desired permission from Louis XYIII., to 
lead an army against his old commander, Napoleon I., on liis 
landing from Elba. One would have thought that the king 
in those disturbed times would have suspected Ney's design, 
and not acceded to a strange request from one of Napoleon's 
best marshals. However, Louis thought not of treachery, 
and Ney, with his old uniform and honorary orders in a port- 
manteau, handed the army over to the commands of the 
Emperor Napoleon. As " le brave des braves," and in mem- 
ory of his victories, he deserved a statue ; for his act of 
treachery, he deserved to be shot. The Observatory, of 
which I spoke, was commenced by Claude Perrault some time 
between 1667 and 1670, and his building contains neither 
iron nor wood ; it has been subject to many additions since 
its erection. The dome contains a gigantic equatorial, which 
is said to have been, so far, of very little use, but as it 
was hit by twenty balls while the insurgents occupied the 
Observatory, we judge it must have been an excellent target 
for marksmen ; but little injury was done to the more useful 
instruments, although the edifice was fired by the insurgents 
when driven from it, and during their occupation of it the 
cupola was riddled by shot. The line indicating the meridian 
of Paris is traced on the floor of one of the rooms. 

Thursday^ July 18, 1878. — " A G-recian temple requires 
to be seen against the sky, and loses all its dignity when "sur- 
rounded by lofty buildings." 

I do not know who wrote the above lines, they were only 
quoted where I read them, but they are very applicable to the 
Church La Madeleine. It probably may be considered simple 
in design, but it is so heavy that one feels disposed to be 
critical, as, considering it one of the most fashionable chiirches 
in Paris, the effect is disappointing, I mean in reference to 
the exterior. The interior is quite imposing. Imagine fifty- 
two fluted columns of Corinthian style forming a portico. 

9* 



102 WE FOUR. 

Thirty-four niches contain an equal amount of saints. The 
bas-relief of the pediment represents the '*' Last Judgment," 
the central figure being Mary Magdalene in the act of inter- 
ceding with Christ. We are still on the outside, but before 
opening those massive bronze doors, the work of seven years, 
let us examine them. They are divided into ten compart- 
ments, each one containing in bas-relief, an emblem of one of 
the commandments, and above them we see the delivering of 
the law to Moses. These doors were designed by Baron de 
Triqueti, for which work he received no remuneration, and 
there they stand a record of meanness. The interior is one 
vast hall lighted through four domes, and although gorgeous 
with gilding and coloring, its size prevents the appearance of 
tawdriness. The marble group of the Assumption of the 
Yirgin Mary, which is over the high altar, will touch the 
least devout heart with its beauty. Scenes in the life of 
Mary Magdalene are dispersed around in pictures and statues. 
The artist Ziegler has embellished the vault above the pulpit 
with the " Apotheosis of Napoleon." There are two little 
chapels by the main entrance, — one for the marriage cere- 
mony, which is adorned by a marble group representing the 
Yirgin Mary and Joseph ; the other, for baptisms, is embel- 
lished by another marble group of the Baptism of our Saviour. 
The visitor's attention is called to two vases on each side of 
the altar for holy water ; they are certainly expressions of the 
finest art in their modelling and in the forms of the angels 
which rest upon them. La Madeleine was commenced by 
Louis XV., in 1764, but the Bevolution of 1789 found it 
still incomplete, and let it remain, until Napoleon, who never 
missed an opportunity for beautifying Paris, concluded to 
make of it a " Temple of Griory" ; but very little progress was 
made in the road to glory till the Bourbons were restored, and 
in 1816, under Louis XYIIL, it was decreed that it should 
be reinstated to its original design, — that of a church ; but 



IN PARIS. 103 

the work lingered on, a mere skeleton of an edifice, until 
Louis Philippe, the beautifier of Paris, finished it in 184:2. 
Through much bloodshed La Madeleine at length raised its 
head in Paris, and now its very floors have been baptized in 
the sanguinary flood, for three hundred of the insurgents, on 
that fearful day of May 24, 1871, yielded up their lives with- 
in that sacred edifice, having been driven in there by the 
Versailles troops. They have a mural tablet to the memory 
of their parish priest, J. C. Decevrey, who was shot by the 
Communists in the prison De la Roquette, during " those days 
that tried men's souls." The Archbishop of Paris, Darboy, 
whose statue we saw in Notre Dame Cathedral, was also shot 
in the court of the prison on the same day, May 24, 1871. 

We then dropped into Saint Augustin's Church ; it is very 
large, but as it is modern in date and architecture, and there- 
fore had no history sufficiently interesting to detain us, we 
went on to the Pare de Monceaux. At the gate of this 
" English garden," as the French call it, a woman was 
standing, with a beverage put up in bottles of stone, some- 
thing like we see mead dispensed in our country. We in- 
quired its quality, and from two sources we received two 
explanations, — one, that the drink would be lemonade ; the 
other, that it would be found to be cocoanut. As either drink 
would be palatable and refreshing on a warm summer day, 
we concluded to invest our centimes in a draught, but what 
was our disgust to find it sweet and warm and tasting unde- 
niably of licorice, that we concluded, we had unconsciously 
taken some patent cough medicine. I rather think, that 
Philadelphia, having such a reputation for its ice-cream, 
carries the practice of eating and drinking cold matter too 
far, which certainly, even in our warmest weather, cannot 
be strictly healthy. 

The charming place we entered had been laid out for the 
Due de Chartres, exactly one hundred years ago. Like all 



104 WE FOUR. 

tlie other places, which we visited in Paris, this, too, has felt 
the rule of diiferent masters and the destruction which changes 
in government inevitably produced. 

By the side of a miniature lake, on which swans were float- 
ing, was once a triumphal arch formed by Corinthian columns, 
around which vines were twined, thus making nature and art 
both combine to do homage to the hero of that hour. But 
art succumbed to the passions that swayed humanity, while 
nature, ever strong and undismayed before puny man, clung 
more closely to her ruined sister, and with the mantle of her 
love has covered her decay from unkind eyes, and the broken, 
scarred, and blackened fluted columns are picturesquely em- 
bowered with luxuriant vines. A rockery is formed there, 
and the silvery cascade tells its sweet story over and over 
again to listening ears, and the trees of the past century still 
look proudly down on the varying stream of humanity that 
floats beneath their branches. 

We visited to-day, Friday, July 19, 1878, a place whicb 
had been one of my earliest dreams to see, and the realiza- 
tion was Pere La Chaise. It received its name from Louis 
XIV.'s confessor, who was the superior of the Jesuitic order 
in Paris, to which body the ground, now occupied as a ceme- 
tery, was given in 1705. 

From 1763, the time of the expulsion of the Jesuits, until 
1804 it saw several owners, but was then purchased by the 
city and converted into a cemetery. There are three classes 
of graves : first, the Fosses Commune, from which in five 
years the railings and crosses are torn up and a new layer of 
earth is put down, and the ground is ready for occupancy 
again. Second, the Fosses Temporaires, where for ten years 
the ground enjoys immunity from desecration. The third 
class are the more solid chapels or monuments of stone, which 
hold a " concession a perpetuite." 

We were rather disappointed, however, but that was the 



IN PARIS. 105 

result of prejudice, I suppose, for we could not see any beauty 
in festoons of bead-work and wreatbs of immortelles over the 
crosses or around the little cbapels. The inscription, " Pray 
for the soul of the dead" met our eyes and i=addened our 
hearts from many a tomb ; another one, so graphic that I 
will give a translation of it, 

"Stranger, what you are, I, too, have been ; 
What I am now, you, too, will be,'* 

brought with it a sense of reality; but the hope of immor- 
tality is beautifully given in the following epitaph : 

" La mort est le baiser de Dieu." 

The tomb of Thiers, the idol of the people, is defaced with 
names cut into the stone or scribbled on it. When I spoke 
indignantly of this apparent vandalism, I found that it gave 
offence, as these disfigurements were the record of a grateful 
people. We concluded that it was much better to be a private 
citizen and have a pure white monument to social virtues, 
than such as Thiers'. At the entrance to the chapel which 
covers his remains was a large book, with a pencil attached, 
in which we inscribed our names, — a much more dignified 
proceeding than scrawling them upon the walls. However, 
tastes differ it seems. 

How very appropriate seemed the term " Grod's acre," as 
we looked around at tombs of every nationality representing 
at the last but the one people, — those of Death's kingdom, — • 
and in God's sight we are all as one kindred, one tribe ! 
There was the Mussulman cemetery, in which are the 
tombs of the Queen of Oude and the Prince ; two splendid 
Russian monuments, bearing the names of Pozzo di Borgo 
and Count Walewski ; a Spanish mausoleum for the Prince 
Godoy ; the English section, in which rest Admiral Sidney 
Smith and Yolney, the philosopher ; the Jewish section, where, 



106 WE FOUR. 

after " life's fitful fever," Rachel, the greatest tragedienne of 
the age, sleeps ; all represent that " multitude which no man 
can number." Leaving Rachel's neat tomb, with its door of 
open iron-work, we paid our devotions to the more elaborate 
monument over the unfortunate lovers, Abelard and Heloise. 
Their dearths occurred in 1142 and 1163, but it has only 
been since 1817 that they have truly rested; for then their 
hapless corpses were removed for the third and, we hope, the 
last time. 

A more impressive record of devotion than theirs was the 
monument over the Count de Lavalette and his wife. 

" Marie Chamans de Lavalette was born in 1*769, of ob- 
scure parentage, and studied first for the church, then for the 
court, and subsequently became aide-de-camp to Napoleon 
the First, who gave him, in marriage, the Empress Josephine's 
niece, Emilie de Beauharnais. During the consulate he re- 
ceived the title which is on his tomb, and on the second res- 
toration he was condemned to death as an accomplice of the 
emperor. His escape from that death was due to the strategy 
of his wife, who, clothing him in her habiliments, sent him 
out with the servant, while she remained to excite the indig- 
nation of the jailer at the ruse and defy the terrors of the 
tribunal. She was soon set at liberty, however, and joined 
her husband in England, to which asylum he had fled through 
the assistance of Messrs. Bruce, Hutchinson, and Sir Robert 
Wilson." 

The prison-scene is sculptured on the tall stone in a most 
graphic manner, though the costumes look strange to modern 
eyes. He returned from exile in 1821, but not long did he 
live to enjoy his native country, dying in 1830 ; his devoted 
wife surviving him twenty years. 

How different from that was a very large granite tomb 
resembling a chapel, which enclosed the body of Pichegru, 
a traitor to his country ! And I think it is not often that a 



IN PARIS. 107 

dastard's character is given on liis tombstone. " To speak 
well of tlie dead" seems to have been considered, in tliis case, 
ratlier too untruthful a proceeding. Another old gray stone 
told us that Eliza Maj:cour was buried there, who was be- 
headed during the Reign of Terror. Not very far from this 
reminder of the dreaded past I saw a small headstone which 
reminded me of our own style of marking graves, and on read- 
ing the inscription I found that I was correct, that an Ameri- 
can heart had buried its dead there. It was an infant son of 
Pierce Butler, who rests thus alone in a foreign land. Wan- 
dering through the sacred depository of authors' bones, we 
thought, truly, " their works live after them," as we read 
such names as Beranger, Bacine, Balzac, Scribe, Delavigne, 
Madame de Genlis and Madame Cottin, Bernardin de St. 
Pierre, Moliere, Michelet, Alfred de Musset, Frederick 
Soulie, and Nodier. We stopped at Talma's tomb as we had 
at Bachel's, feeling as if friends were lying there whoso heart- 
throbs we had known ; but it was the universality of their 
minds that has left an influence on all humanity. Among 
the authors, I omitted the name of La Fontaine, although his 
tomb is the most graphic of any that I saw, being carved in 
relief with designs taken from his fabled. 

The grave of Marshal Ney, we think, we found, by study- 
ing the plan of the cemetery, as it has no monument nor me- 
morial, being simply in the midst of a small flower-garden, 
surrounded by luxurious ivy. We read the names of music- 
composers, such as Bellini, Bossini, Cherubini, Chopin, etc. ; 
but there was one tomb which aroused a train of thought, and 
yet we know very little nor care to learn more of Bouget de 
I'lsle than that he composed the " Marseillaise." 

The finest monuments are those of Casimir Perier (jtiinis- 
tei-), Monsieur Aguado, a wealthy banker, the Duchess de 
Duras, Felix de Beaujour, Countess Demidoff", and Baspail, 
a chemist. The last, like Thiers, was a friend of the work- 



108 WE FOUR. 

ing-people, and his lofty mausoleum was almost liiclden with 
the garlands hung on it by grateful hands impelled by loving 
hearts. Madame A. proudly showed us the wreath sent by 
the workingmen of the United States, but the red and blue 
had faded, and the white was soiled, which colors had 'marked 
the nationality of the tribute. 

A building in Doric architecture is the chapel of Pere La 
Chaise, and from its steps we have a most beautiful landscape 
spread before us, with the towers of Yincennes in the dis- 
tance. We were not aware, in walking, of the real height 
of the eminences until we reached the hill on which the 
chapel is erected, for the ancient trees tower so above us in 
leafy grandeur that one feels more like being in a dense wood 
than so near the busy life of Paris. How its solemn shades 
must have been desecrated when the Russians bivouacked in 
it during the troubles of 1814 ! 

There was one large common grave for the victims of Feb- 
ruary, 1848, and then again for June, 1848, and still later, 
when two hundred of the Communists filled one huge ditch, 
and seven hundred another, in 1870 and 1871. 

The sun was setting, and already the chill of evening crept 
over us while lingering in the Jewish cemetery, where Roths- 
child and his poorer brethren lay side by side ; so we were 
glad to shake ofi" the gloomy weight of Pere La Chaise in the 
golden beams of the dying sun. While waiting for an omni- 
bus in the Boulevard de Menilmontant, we were amused at a 
funeral cortege which we had seen in the cemetery, and which 
had just come out as we did. A little child had been buried, 
and, therefore, there were but few mourners, but those few 
took seats at the table before a wine-house, and liquor was 
served them. The mother of the dead child had a crape veil 
falling to her feet, which she threw back, in order to eat and 
drink. They talked and laughed as if it was a wedding they 
had witnessed; but now and then, the bereaved parent, like 



IN PARIS. 109 

the little boy in Harpers' Weekly, who asked " what he had 
been crying about?" so that he might go on with his tears, 
suddenly remembered her distinguished position, and a briny 
drop would trickle down from her eye into her wine-glass. 
The drivers of the funeral coaches were also havino- a refresh- 
ing drink after their tedious ride in the sun, and we wondered 
whether that was put down in the undertaker's bill as " sun- 
driesy The custom of draping the front of the house in 
black when a death occurs, gives a gloomy aspect to the whole 
street, and the mutes in the doorway made us think of the 
Oriental mode of conducting funerals. 

Pere La Chaise would be beautiful — for nature has endowed 
her well — were flowers to take the place of bead- and wax- 
work specimens, which render it so like a bazaar. 

I had asked Monsieur A. one morning at luncheon if 
we could visit the Catacombs ; but he shook his head em- 
phatically, no. Here was a dilemma. I would not leave Paris 
without seeing these subterranean galleries, and those in 
Home were beyond our present anticipation, and as our guide- 
book says that the inspectors visit them four times a year, and 
this was one of their months for inspection, some measures 
must be taken immediately. I had been kindly provided 
before leaving Philadelphia with a letter of introduction from 
the Honorable Mayor Stokley, signed and sealed with the 
great seal of the city. I drew this imposing-looking docu- 
ment from my letter-case and handed it to our host, saying, 
" Cette lettre veut il servi?- .^" I could say no more, for, catch- 
ing a glimpse of its ofiicial nature, he comprehended its pur- 
port, though he knew no English, and told me it would do. 
At dinner he brought with him another official paper from 
the prefect of the police, stating for our party to be at the 
entrance in the Barriere d'Enfer on Saturday afternoon, 
July 20, at one o'clock. We were punctual to the minute, 
two gentlemen and five ladies, at the appointed spot, and 

10 



110 WE FOUR. 

found it a large court-yard, in which were assembled quite a 
number of persons of all nationalities, each bearing in the 
hand a candle. Some had improvised candlesticks of paste- 
board, and it was quite amusing to see the different tastes 
evinced in making those temporary holders for the candles. 
Anything to fill in the time, for the delay was not only weari- 
some but painful. For it was noontime, and it was summer- 
time, and the pavement was brick. At length a rush was 
made, and we soon discovered that our companions had formed 
themselves into a snake-like position, the head of which was 
disappearing into a dark cavern while the tail, of which tve 
formed a part, was still exposed to the blazing sun. How 
gladly we welcomed the gloomy abyss, and how sorry we were 
in a few moments after, that we had not extra wraps with us 1 
Down we went, step after step, with our little light glimmer- 
ing on our way, making the approaching darkness look darker 
yet. At length we reach the mysterious depths which under- 
mine one-tenth of the city on the left bank of the Seine. 
The Catacombs were originally quarries, out of which the 
stone was procured to build Paris as late as the seventeenth 
century. Accidents have occurred by the giving way of the 
earth, and houses have sunk eighty feet down ; but the sub- 
terranean region is now under careful survey, and is so well 
protected by piers and buttresses that all causes for apprehen- 
sion are removed. 

As the many windings in these depths make it compara- 
tively easy to be lost, to mitigate that danger, chains are 
placed across side-paths, and a heavy black line is painted as a 
guide for the way in which we must go. 

Query : When one has no light to see hlack paint, what 
advantage has it over any other color ? 

There was much merriment among the gentlemen ; gay 
French songs were sung and jokes bandied about as we threaded 
our way through these labyrinths, but suddenly there was a 



IN PARIS. Ill 

husli in the joviality ; a shudder passed througli the once 
merry party ; Clio shrank back and hid her face in her hands. 
" I can go no farther," she cried. We attempted to reas- 
sure her, but in vain ; and with her eyes cast upon the ground 
she, and in fact all of us, made the rest of the journey in 
comparative silence. The solemnity of the place had fallen 
upon us when we read on the threshold of an octagon vesti- 
bule, these words : 

" Arretez ! c'est ici I'empire de la mort." 

The practice of burying in the Cemetery of the Innocents 
was abolished in 1784, therefore, on the 7th of April, 1786, 
the Catacombs were consecrated with great pomp as the 
tomb, it is supposed, of the bones of three millions of human 
beings, and now we were entering this sad receptacle. This 
is the one difference between the Catacombs and any other 
resting-place for the dead, that here all individuality is lost. 
Bone with fellow-bone in close proximity, but whose we 
know not. They were piled up very systematically, forming 
a wall on each side of these vaulted caverns, and surmounted 
by a cross of skulls in the Maltese, Greek, or Roman style, 
or sometimes only by death's emblem, — the skull and cross- 
bones. There were many mural tablets, containing beauti- 
ful extracts from the works of Lamartine and other French 
writers, and now and then texts familiar to every reader of 
the Sacred Scriptures. One simple memorial contained these 
lines, " Le Dieu n'est pas I'auteur de la mort," and on another 
a few feet away, I read this, " Le peche est I'auteur de la 
mort." I regretted that I had not time to copy a few at least 
of these inscriptions, but those who acted as guides, remorse- 
less as ' death itself, hastened us on, on, on, through rooms 
and rooms of these sad remains, — victims of the revolutions 
that have devastated Paris in different eras, and even as late 
as '71, while one hundred insurgents of the garrison at Fort 



112 WE FOUR. 

Vanves escaped by this route, a greater number met a linger- 
ing death here by starvation. In order to purify the air from 
the dangerous exhalations that must necessarily arise, a fire is 
kept burning in an antique lamp placed upon a pedestal, and 
a fountain of water has been dug in these subterranean halls. 

The dampness which exudes from the walls forms stalactites, 
which, with the rocks that have from time to time become 
detached, give to the Catacombs the picturesqueness of some 
mysterious cave. 

In the gallery Port Mahon is a stone on which is sculp- 
tured in relief the fort after whose name the gallery derives 
its cognomen. This piece of work was done by an old soldier 
named Decure, who had served under Marshal Richelieu, and 
who met his death by the caving in of this part of the quarry, 
while employed there. We were now out of Death's recep- 
tacle, and traversed again long, dark galleries, and again the 
laugh and song echoed through those labyrinthine depths. 
At one place we stopped, where a better idea could be given 
to us of the distance we were below the city. Up above us 
at an immense height was the busy mart ; one almost could 
realize the repose of the dead in this vast charnel-house. 
Entering a gallery where huge pillars supported the roof, one 
gentleman said, " Good-by, all," and turned into a side gal- 
lery. Energetic calls were made to him to return, although 
no one was courageous enough to follow him. " You will 
get lost !" was shouted after him with no effect, and in a 
second the glimmering of his little candle was lost to our 
sight in the gathering darkness. When we arrived at the 
foot of the stairway by which we were to ascend into higher 
regions, our, supposed lost friend met us as coolly as if he had 
not caused an anxiety in any one's mind. " You knew the 
way it seems," was the greeting. 

" No ; but I never lost sight of you, that was all." He 
had merely walked through another corridor, guided by the 



IN PARIS. 113 

merry voices on his side and the moving lights that appeared, 
now and then, through apertures in the walls. Another 
amusement among the gentlemen that might prove dangerous 
to a smaller party was the blowing out of each other's can- 
dles. But both fun and sadness were now over, and the 
people, who had been together for three hours in the midst 
of life and death, separated on their different ways never to 
meet again there. The candles were given to a poor woman 
at the head of the stairway, and we breathed freer when once 
more we basked in the light of Grod's sun. 

Next in order, as being in the same section of the city, was 
the Bon Marche. A short ride in the cars, for we were tired 
from our tramp through the Catacombs, brought us to this 
grand ''^ magasin^ It is arranged in stories, but as it is in a 
closely-built part of the city the light is not good ; however, 
we were informed by one of the clerks that a large building 
to the south was to be pulled down and the Bon Marche en- 
larged; we judge that those improvements have been made 
now. 

From four to five o'clock the store is open to visitors ; 
that is, persons who do not wish to purchase, but merely to 
look around ; these persons are accommodated with a guide, 
who takes his party over the building at the regular sight- 
seeing pace and marches them out with an indistinct outline 
in their brain of what they have seen. We saw a family of 
colored persons thus ciceroned, and their hue made them the 
cynosure of all eyes, except Americans'. While we Vv^ere look- 
ing at laces I was charmed with a little scene enacted near me. 
A mother and daughter and a young man, the prospective 
bridegroom of the daughter, provincial by action and lan- 
guage, were selecting a lace shawl as one article of the 
trousseau of the future matron ; but the young man's eyes 
were too fascinated with his sweetheart to appreciate the 
goods displayed. A restaurant is another feature of the 

10* 



114 WE FOUR. 

store, in whicli a customer can have a glass of wine and a 
biscuit without charge. 

" Can I have a glass of ice-water ?" inquired Erato. 

" Certainly, miss ; you can have what you please." 

" But truly, will the waiter give me a glass of water ?" she 
continued, in her most beseeching tones. 

" Come with me, ladies, and I will give the order for you," 
replied our complaisant clerk. 

We followed him into the saloon, and glasses of syrup 
flavored with cherry were handed us, — iced it is true, but 
water instead of being the staple article was only the ingre- 
dient. It was quite refreshing, though, and the biscuit 
tasted good to us., who were looking forward to a substantial 
dinner at the close of the day. For those whose minds soar 
above the paltry fashions of the day is provided a small gallery 
of paintings, where one can come across a little gem of art, 
the counterpart of nature. But the same nature was warning 
us that dinner hour was approaching ; so we asked an accom- 
modating clerk, who had given us each pretty cards, a Japa- 
nese fan, and a petite Chinese umbrella, to call a coach for 
us. When he had done so, he said, " Ladies, the driver 
says it is such a long distance that it will take an hour, so 
you will have to engage it for the hour and not the drive." 

" Yery well," we replied, and entered the cab, after noting 
the time ; but we soon found that the driver was taking ad- 
vantage of our complaisance in the matter of the engagement 
by driving at a snail's pace. Here we were, ravenously hungry, 
twilight deepening around us, and our coachman driving as 
if to a funeral. But with all his forethought he could not 
make time move any more rapidly, so it wanted five minutes 
of the appointed hour when we drove up to 77 Bue de la 
Butte chaumont. 

" Gro in, girls," said Erato, " and let me deal with this 
man." 



IN PARIS. 115 

So drawing out her pocket-book witli the coolest air in tlie 
world, she handed our smart cabman two francs and Sipour- 
boi7'e, or five cents extra. 

" Non, non,^' he replied, as he pushed it back to her ; 
" cinquante centimes plus.'' ^ 

She took the money from him and drew out her watch. 
" You have not been one hour in coming here." 

The man looked crestfallen, and held out his hand for his 
proper fare, and, after getting his drink at the wine-house 
near by, went on his way, seeking some one else to devour. 

I think the prices for cab-hire are remarkably cheap ; 
still, if there is a rule for the proper division of prices, 
any one, who attempts to obtain more than his legitimate 
fee, is swindling. We appreciated Erato's manoeuvre much 
more when she showed us her watch, which had stopped 
at four o'clock, and it was near eight. Clio's watch had 
been the guide, and she had entered the house at Erato's 
request. The latter said, if the coachman had only been 
smart enough to have asked to compare the time with his 
watch, her trick would have been discovered, but unfortu- 
nately for him he was well aware of his contrivance to gain 
time, and satisfied with ourselves, we ate bountifully of 
Madame's good soup. 

Sunday morning rose gloomily, and the trip to St. Cloud 
and Versailles seemed of doubtful origin, but we had no time 
to lose merely on account of rain, and as the Louvre was 
still unvisited, its charms were before us. To reach there we 
were obliged to take a correspondence ticket, and in changing 
from one car to the other we had the benefit of a sumnler 
shower. But what to us were a few drops of rain when the 
goal was reached, the magnificent Louvre. The well-waxed 
floors, the marble steps, the tessellated halls, the immense 
frescoed ceilings, but whose ornamentation could scarcely be 
distinguished from their height of from thirty to fifty feet, 



116 WE FOUR. 

all impressed us with tlie royalty that had lived and died. 
To Napoleon III. must be given the credit for the present 
arrangement of the Louvre galleries. 

On the ground-floor is the valuable collection of the 
Marquis Campana, consisting of Italian paintings, bronzes, 
terra-cottas, etc. ; also mediaeval ivories, majolicas, Etruscan 
art and Egyptian antiquities, sculptures of every age and 
every country. The original Venus of Milo, discovered in 
1820 ; the celebrated statue of the Hermaphrodite and a 
vase, both from the Borghese collection ; figures upon figures 
of classical subjects adorn the saloons of the " Caryatides," 
of Pan, of Hercules, of Adonis, of Psyche, originally the 
apartments of Henry II., III., IV., Catherine de Medicis, 
and Charles IX. The saloon of the last-mentioned king is so 
profuse with ornamentation that no more could be put upon 
it. The specimens of the Egyptian and Assyrian sculpture 
form a very rich collection, — a carved sphinx of colossal 
size reaching the ceiling ; a large piece of pavement taken 
from the front of the door of the temple at Nineveh ; the 
enormous stone coffins dating from 660 years before Christ ; 
the Bull Apis ; two sepulchral urns found in Jerusalem in 
the Tomb of the Kings, — one contains the ashes of a 
princess, the other is supposed to contain all that remains of 
the " sweet singer of Israel." 

In the Hall of French Pottery we discovered some of 
Bernard Palissy's finest manufacture, and in the Italian some 
reliefs, in glazed terra-cotta, by Luca della Bobbia. " La 
Salle des Cariatides," of which I spoke first, derives its name 
from four colossal caryatides which support the gallery, the 
work of the famous Jean Goujon, who was shot here during 
the St. Bartholomew Massacre. 

Here the nuptials of Henry IV. and Margaret of Valois 
were solemnized, and in the same hall he was laid in state 
after his assassination by Bavaillac ; he expired in the grand 



IN PARIS. 117 

vestibule, wliere his attendants were obliged to lay him, find- 
ing that the end of the good king was approaching. In the 
same saloon Moliere held his theatre, where, sixty-five years 
before, the Duke of Gruise hung four men, principal spirits in 
the society of Leaguers. But La Salle des Rois was to us 
the most interesting, as here were gathered relics of different 
sovereigns from Charlemagne to Louis XVI. The sword and 
battle-axe of Childeric, dating from 481 ; a statue of Henry 
ly., in silver, representing him when a boy, — the workman- 
ship of Bosio ; a round table, on whose scagliola top was drawn 
a map of the world by Louis XYL, for the instruction of his 
son ; the desk of Louis Philippe, telling, though with silent 
mouths, the violence offered it by the ruthless mob in 1848. 
We stood in the window balcony which overlooked the Seine, 
from which Charles IX. had fired upon the terrified Hugue- 
nots as they attempted to cross the bridge. That shot and 
the signal from the bell of St. Grermain I'Auxerrois — now, 
however, in the Palais de Justice — have wakened echoes 
that have not yet died from Paris. I have not spoken yet 
of the pictures, because they are the things of which all de- 
scription falls powerless. They have to be seen to be known. 
We saw the likeness of every king who sat upon the throne 
of France. In the gallery containing pictures, the gift of 
Monsieur La Caze, who died in 1869, we saw quite a fine dis- 
play of Rembrandts and Watteaus, with other minor paint- 
ers. There were too many representations of the Madonna 
and Christ to be devoid of sacrilege ; in fact, scriptural pieces 
abounded to satiety ; I should think profane history and 
nature at large, contained studies enough for the painter with- 
out his taking such especial delight in exhausting the Bible. 
The largest picture in the Louvre, a Paul Veronese, — I sup- 
pose it is considered his masterpiece, — represents " The Mar- 
riage in Cana of Gralilee." The bride is the likeness of 
Eleanor of Austria, Francis I. at her side ; Queen Mary, of 



118 WE FOUR. 

England, is an invited guest, as are also tlie Sultan Soliman I. 
and the Emperor Charles Y. In the foreground are the hired 
musicians, — Titian playing on a bass-viol ; Bassano has a flute, 
while Tintoret and the artist himself complete the quartette 
with violoncellos. No liberty has been taken, however, with 
the established practice of representing our Saviour and his 
mother. Another picture of the same style, by Veronese, is 
" Christ and His Disciples on the way to Emmaus." In this 
he again introduces himself with his wife and children. Ru- 
bens and his pupils have a gallery to themselves of twenty- 
one paintings, representing scenes in the life of Marie de 
Medicis, at whose request they were painted to decorate her 
palace at Luxembourg. 

I have given a description of the Louvre merely as it 
aiFected me ; it is, however, systematically arranged : the 
lower floor being occupied entirely by sculpture ; the next 
by paintings, drawings, and small curiosities of art in bronze, 
ivory, or terra-cotta, specimens of ancient jewelry, and relics 
of France. The upper floor is the Naval Museum, the 
Chinese collection, and the American Museum, containing 
anti(|uities discovered in Mexico and South America. 

From the Louvre it was the most natural thing in the 
world to go into St. Germain I'Auxerrois, just opposite the 
parish church of royalty. It is said to be founded by Childe- 
bert, but whether true or not it matters little, as this church 
is a history of later days. Two days before the terrible mas- 
sacre which its bell signalled Admiral de Coligny was wounded 
in one of the cloisters. The body of Marshal d'Ancre was 
rudely dragged out by a mob in 1617, when lying in state ; 
and again a band of men, who have no respect for churches 
or laws, sacked the church in 1831, because a mass was being 
said on the anniversary of the death of the Duke de Berri. 
It is, therefore, dating from 1838, under the decorating hand 
of Louis Philippe, a modern church. A service was going on, 



IN PARIS. 119 

and two organs were playing, but the chanting was the most 
doleful that I have ever heard. If it was a specimen of the 
G-regorian school, I think a light opera judiciously introduced 
would be more attractive to the worshippers, and consequently 
more beneficial. But our eyes were turned to the aspirations 
of our childhood's days, and that was to see the Cathedral of 
Notre Dame. It stands on the He de la Cite, and before it 
is an open square called Parris Notre Dame. It dates back 
to 1160, and is built in the form of a Latin cross. Its two 
massive square towers had impressed our gaze when we looked 
over Paris from the Arc de I'Etoile. They were designed to 
carry spires, and we think such completion would add consid- 
erably to the general efiect. The south tower contains the 
bell called Bourdon, which weighs about seventeen tons. 
Like the Madeleine, this church has been the prey to revo- 
lutions. It, too, was used for profane purposes, being called 
the Temple of Beason, and celebrating on the very altar the 
Feast of the Groddess. But it has been swept clean and gar- 
nished, we hope, to remain, a temple to the Lord. The out- 
side is so elaborately carved that it occupies quite a long time 
to examine the sculpture. Twenty-eight niches are filled 
with statues of Judah's kings, while saints, apostles, and 
prophets dwell in shrines below them. The chief beauty of 
Notre Dame is its three portals, whose gates contain in relief 
" The Last Judgment" and " Scenes from the Life of the 
Virgin." Victor Hugo has immortalized them in his "Notre 
Dame de Paris." When we entered there was no general 
service in progress, but in various of the thirty-seven chapels 
were minor services. The largest attended was a funeral 
mass ; the music was exquisite, and while there was a pa- 
thetic chord in its vibrations there was an echo of jubilee, 
as if the once-imprisoned soul was soaring triumphantly into 
regions far beyond our finite minds. It was so different from 
the melody in St. Glermain de I'Auxerrois that I felt like the 



120 WE FOUR. 

enchanted friar listening to the bird's song, that the flight of 
time was unnoticed. But the congregation was dispersing ; so 
we continued our sight-seeing. Being the Sabbath, the rel- 
iques in the sacristy were not exhibited, which consist of two 
thorns from the Saviour's crown, a nail from the cross, and 
the blood-stained robes of three successive archbishops. 

Affre received his death- wound in 1848 while attempting 
to pacify the insurgents of Faubourg St. Antoine, that hot-bed 
of Communism. The bullet which killed him is preserved in 
the sacristy, together with a cast from his face. Sibour also 
met his death from the mob, and the sad fate of Darboy 
needs hardly to be recapitulated. Two black marble mural 
tablets bear the names of the seventy-five hostages murdered 
by the Communists on the 24th, 25th, 26th, and 27th of May, 
1871. 

Archbishop Darboy heads the list. His statue, represent- 
ing a man of distinguished bearing, a classical face, and that 
sad expression of countenance which physiognomists say por- 
tends a violent death, a piece of finely chiselled sculpture, is 
in one of the chapels. His remains are placed in a sarcoph- 
agus in the Chapel of St. G-eorge, in a line with distinguished 
predecessors. 

The Grothic structure south of the Cathedral, used as a 
sacristy, is on the site of the Archbishop's Palace, which 
was sacked, the valuables being thrown into the Seine and 
destroyed by a mob in 1831. The present archbishop resides 
in the Hotel du Chatelet, near the Hopital des Invalides. 

This had been a busy day with us, and we enjoyed a rest 
on a bench under the shady trees of one of the open squares, 
while we discussed a luncheon of cakes, which Madame had 
provided, and watched the gay throngs of passers-by. 

I might as well mention here two landmarks of ours, which 
become so from their beauty. One was the largest fountain 
in Paris, and really engrossing to the view from its vivid 



IN PARIS. 121 

carving, — '■'■ Fontaine St. MicIiaeV^ representing the contest in 
which the glorious archangel was triumphant. The other 
was the " Tour St. Jacques," at the corner of the Place due 
Chatelet, opposite the Kue de Rivoli. It is all that remains 
of a church in the Gothic style that was destroyed in 1789. 
Now, where was once a closely built-up district of the poorest 
population is a handsome garden, from whose midst the tower 
points like a finger to heaven. It is surmounted by a statue 
of the apostle whose name it bears, and a figure of Pascal, 
who used this tower for his philosophical experiments, fills 
the vaulted space at the base. 

Tuesday morning, July 22, we set out for Versailles ; in 
visiting which, we were disappointed on Sunday. Cook, in 
his Gruide-Book, says the following : 

" Were Paris blotted from the face of the earth, leaving 
nothing behind it but the Palace of Yersailles, the journey 
to this fairy-like structure would alone well repay the visitor." 

We took the cars at the Gare de 1' Quest (rive droite), and 
it was delightful, after two weeks of city air, to breathe the 
freshening breezes from the green fields, although the scenery 
is very uninteresting on the route. Nor is Yersailles itself 
very prepossessing, which was our general experience of all 
garrisoned towns ; and as we crossed the court-yard, laid 
out with octagon stones of the Louis XIV. era, and saw 
before us a long, low, red-brick building, with two wings of 
the same aspect, reminding one of an almshouse, or some 
other charitable institution, our enthusiasm about the Palace 
of Versailles fell to zero. It was well perhaps that we en- 
tered with that feeling of disappointment, for wc found that 
the inside far exceeded our most glowing anticipations. I 
will not encroach upon your time to give an. historical account 
of Versailles, only mentioning that it was once a small cha- 
teau of red brick, erected by order of Louis XIII. But it 
was Louis XIV. who beautified and enlarged it, until it be- 
r 11 



122 WE FOUR. 

came tlie royal residence that we now see. The entrance 
was imposing, — a magnificent stairway, with marble balus- 
trades, classic sculpture at the sides, high ceilings, richly fres- 
coed, and on the tessellated landing, stood two soldiers with 
lowered muskets, almost as motionless as the marble around 
them. 

" How splendid it must have been as a queen to mount 
these marble steps !" said Erato ; and hardly had the words 
escaped her lips when her foot slipped, and, in order to save 
herself from a severe fall, she threw out her hands in a most 
ungraceful manner, and, I think I must use the word, scram- 
bled up again. Even the stern guards could not repress a 
smile, and Madame, a staunch Republican, was decidedly 
amused, and told Erato " that had been the fate of queens ;" 
but the victim came to the conclusion that she had fallen, 
ignominiously, rather too soon, — she had not yet enjoyed the 
fulness of the elevation. 

Laughing merrily at Erato's discomfiture, we proceeded 
through the difierent saloons, representing each sovereign's 
life. The bedroom of Louis XIV., was magnificent ; the 
coverlet of his bed, embroidered, with rich lace above it, is 
considered quite a work of genius. Here he died, leaving this 
splendor for the cold embrace of the tomb. 

The Gralerie des Grlaces and the Gralerie des Batailles are 
the chief attractions to the visitor. The former is one of the 
most magnificent that can be found in any palace ; seventeen 
windows overlook the extensive garden, and opposite each 
window is a corresponding looking-glass. The chandeliers 
of Louis Xiy., with glass pendants, make the saloon, when 
lighted, even more brilliant. The furniture of the difierent 
sovereigns was in each room, and well guarded, that plebeian 
forms might not touch them. In one saloon were stools from 
every city in Paris, and from every conquered town, embroid- 
ered by the fair hands of the royal dames of those places. 



IN PARIS. 123 

The saddest suite of rooms was the Napoleonic. There was 
a magnificent painting of the coronation of Josephine by that 
husband, who, so unfeelingly, tore it again from her pure brow. 
Then in her place, we saw Marie Therese, a lovely-looking 
woman, but the sin upon her predecessor cast its shadow over 
her. We traced Napoleon I. from the earliest record with 
his Bonaparte brothers and sisters on to his glorious achieve- 
ments, until last a granite statue of the dying man, no sem- 
blance of royalty now, but with an emaciated countenance 
and swollen abdomen, that causes a feeling of pity for the suf- 
ferer to rise in the heart, while we cannot but condemn the 
principles of action which had governed him. The Salle des 
Marechaux contains portraits of the principal marshals of 
France, and the shields of those whose portraits could not be 
obtained. A long gallery is dedicated to English and Ameri- 
can portraits of distinguished men. 

Versailles is an illustration of the perfection of art which 
has made " the waste place to blossom as the rose." The 
grounds around the palace were but an arid waste, and yet 
upon that sandy soil Le Notre has planned a perfect paradise. 
No other word is so adequate to express the beauty of the 
place ; to enjoy it at its full one should go when the foun- 
tains are playing, one of which, the Bassin de Neptune, is 
seen only twice a year. From the Bassin de Latone to the 
Bassin d'Apollon is a walk which opens to the eye a superb 
vista. It is ornamented by statues and vases, and extends 
between trees of centuries' growth and flowering plants. It 
is called Allee du Tapis Vert. The garden is full of fountains, 
water gushing from the rocks, like miniature cascades, or a 
beautiful piece of statuary will suddenly be enveloped in a 
sparkling shower. The richness of the parterres, the orangerie, 
— in which are twelve hundred trees, one dating from 1420, — 
the kitchen-garden, all show that nature, jealous of art, has 
endeavored to excel her. With a guide we entered the 



124 WE FOUR. 

National Assembly Rooms, which are arranged like the Parlia- 
ment or our Congress assemblies, and were once used as a 
theatre, begun for Madame Pompadour in 1*753. Quite dif- 
ferent scenes are enacted here than the mimic ones which once 
graced the boards. 

We then took an open carriage and had a lovely drive to 
Trianon. A wide avenue, with the trees so tall that their 
branches bending over formed a roof above our heads, lay 
before us in the summer afternoon's sun. It was the avenue 
of the Queen, and on our return we went farther through it 
in Versailles .to the station, and noticed the elegant villas 
which had been the summer residences of the nobility. The 
palace of the Greater Trianon was not open for visitors, but 
we concluded it was the same round of state apartments, so we 
did not regret the omission. It was inhabited by Madame 
de Maintenon, and was a fivorite residence of the kings until 
the Little Trianon was built for Madame du Barry by Louis 
XY. When it fell into the possession of Marie Antoinette 
she made it picturesque as a Swiss scene, with a mill, cottages, 
dairy, cow-stables, and kitchen-garden. The dairy is floored, 
wainscoted, and shelved with marble, as when kings and 
queens descend to play in rural life, they still take the gran- 
deur of the court with them. We lost ourselves in the ro- 
mantic shades of Trianon, we forgot time and space in gazing 
at the French roses in their large variety, at the fuchsias, 
hanging from five-foot trees, double geraniums in massive 
clusters, hydrangeas in complete bloom, phlox and stock-jelly, 
no longer plants but flowering trees. We sat in the arbor 
to which Marie Antoinette must often have wandered at the 
close of the day. But so filled am I with the beauty of 
Petite Trianon that I have omitted in its proper place a de- 
scription of the room in which the state carriages and sedan- 
chairs of different reigns were kept; we also saw two sleighs 
there; those vehicles of more northern climes. 



IN PARIS. 125 

The guide talked in the stereotyped tone of voice that all 
guides have, and walked around, utterly ignoring the placards 
which were on the different vehicles, but arranging their per- 
sonality to suit himself. It matters little to us now whether 
Napoleon I. or III. claimed a carriage, or which was the 
bridal or the travelling or the mere state carriage ; but it 
mattered a good deal that afternoon when the guide had them 
most egregiously mixed. It was just sunset when we bade 
adieu to the beauties of Trianon and the grandeur of Ver- 
sailles, and we realized the words with which I began this 
account, that if we had seen nothing else in Paris, Versailles 
is worth a journey across the ocean. 

Wed^iesdai/, July 24. — "Paris is the best drained metrop- 
olis in the world, and other cities should take example by 
her ;" so said an Englishman to me, as we entered the sewers 
of the city. To Monsieur Pujet can be given the credit of this 
admirable plan of sewerage, but to Monsieur Haussmann for 
having carried out successfully the system to the extent of 
three hundred and fifty miles. We descended to the sub- 
terranean canal, or main drain, near the Madeleine, in the 
Boulevard des Capucines, by a flight of stone steps, but with- 
out a candle, as gas is burning through the sewers ; and en- 
tered a dimly-lighted cavern, the exhalations preventing a clear 
light, so we could only recognize the countenances of those 
near us. Here the ladies were placed in a boat, and, if enough 
room, gentlemen with ladies were allowed the privilege of 
riding ; the remainder walked along the pavement on each side 
of this canal, with the boatmen who drew this precious freight. 

Could this black, fetid water on which we were moving be 
the counterpart of the dismal river of Styx ? We passed 
under the Rue Roy ale until we reached the Place de la Con- 
corde, where we alighted from our boat and waited upon a 
platform for the train. Looking up and down, it appeared 
like a long tunnel, which we must enter ; directly we heard a 



126 WE FOUR. 

rumbling noise, and up came tlie first car, full of ladies, next 
one of Chinese and Japanese, next Arabs, then a party of 
English ; finally, when we counted the twelfth car, the na- 
tionalities were indiscriminate. It was our turn now to take 
the cars, and these persons, whom we have just met on this 
platform, will take our discarded boats on the River Styx. I 
discovered the systematic manner in which the cars were 
filled, a much better plan than our American one of pushing 
for the first place and crowding, regardless of personal incon- 
venience. The first car was to be filled with ladies without 
gentleman escorts ; the second and third, or as many as were 
necessary, with persons forming a party of themselves. Next, 
gentlemen alone were called, and, finally, ladies with gentle- 
man attendants filled the remaining cars. So we started on 
a narrow-gauge railway, laid parallel over this subterranean 
canal, with two men drawing, one on each side of the water, 
and two men pushing, requiring four for eacb car. They 
were dressed in blue-checked shirts, and, as they ran the en- 
tire route from the Place de la Concorde to the Hotel de la 
Ville, the perspiration deluged them that their garments ad- 
hered closely to the skin. As we passed different streets, 
which we could tell by the daylight rays which penetrated 
through, we heard the rushing of the water through caverns 
in the wall from the small sewers of the city. Here the 
water was constantly oozing out from the roof and sides, 
evidently caused by the action of the air upon the dampness, 
as I described the Catacombs ; but we could hardly refrain 
from laughing as one of our conductors received a copious 
shower of what, I supposed, was not the purest water in the 
world. In order to save our clothes from such discomfiture, as 
the cars are open, Madame raised her parasol, which example 
was soon imitated by the other passengers in our car. It was 
a merry ride, and, as we went very rapidly past the openings, 
the noxious odors were scarcely discernible before we reached 



IN FAEIS. 127 

a different atmosphere. Landing at the Hotel de la Yille, 
the conductors were fee'd by the passengers, and, as the price 
is not fixed, some would fare better than others, on account 
of the liberality that happened in his car. We had followed 
so far the canal, but it is carried seven miles away from the city 
to Bienville before its foul contents empty into a river to be 
emptied into the ocean's depths. By the means of these 
underground passages the telegraph wires are carried ; but, 
as they must be insulated to protect them from the dampness, 
the operation of hanging them is very expensive. The " Place 
de r Hotel de Yille," in which we now found ourselves, is an 
open space before the old Hotel de Yille. The process of re- 
building this splendid mansion will prove very expensive ; at 
present, as I mentioned before, the state apartments of Lux- 
embourg are used for municipal affairs. The magnificent 
building, begun in 1533, was the historical centre of Paris. In 
1789 a victorious mob took possession of it ; and the Common 
Council of Paris held their meetings there. .Robespierre and 
his coadjutors took refuge in it, and when the National Guard 
entered they found him wounded, from his cowardly attempt 
to blow out his brains. That night, with his twenty-one 
adherents, he lodged in the Conciergerie ; next day the sure 
guillotine completed what he had failed in doing. This build- 
ing took an active part in the Revolution of 1830 ; then again 
in 1848 ; but it remained for 1871 to complete the atroci- 
ties of former eras. On the 24th of May, the insurgents, 
finding themselves besieged in the Hotel de Yille by the 
Yersailles troops, after a struggle of twelve hours, ordered 
their combustibles to be ignited by the incendiaries, as petro- 
leum was their valuable friend in their hellish work. The 
troops became masters of the situation, but this, the finest 
work of the Renaissance, fell a victim to the fire-fiend, and, as 
six hundred men were in the building, it will never be known 
how many perished in the flames. The square, in which we 



128 WE FOUR. 

found ourselves, also, is memorable as being the place of 
public executions previous to 1830. On the very spot where 
Huguenots were tortured, hung, or burned, two of the leaders 
of the St. Bartholomew massacre were beheaded for high 
treason. Marchioness de Brinvilliers, a poisoner, expiated 
her crimes at this place. Damiens, who attempted to assas- 
sinate Louis XV., in 1757, at Versailles, was torn to pieces 
here by four horses. In 1789 the first victims of the revo- 
lution (two officers) were hung from the lamp-posts. But 
not many others suffered here, as the guillotine was removed 
to the Place du Carrousel, afterwards to the Place de la 
Concorde, and is now kept in the prison in the Bue de la 
BoquettCj of which place we will speak further. 

After bidding our gentleman friends adieu on this sad spot, 
but now joyous in the summer sun, with its many-colored 
omnibuses and cars, Madame A. and myself visited the 
" Halles Central," or, in plain English, the Central Market. 
It occupies the place of the Cemetery of the Innocents, at 
one time the only graveyard in Paris, independent of the 
churches, whose occupants were removed to the Catacombs 
in 1784. This market has extensive vaults, and goods are 
brought to it by means of a subterranean railway ; besides 
this, a large tank for live fish, makes it the most convenient 
as well as the cleanest market in Paris. It consists of eight 
departments under one glass roof with iron framings, but 
these departments are separated by broad cart-ways. Butter, 
cheese, and eggs can be obtained only in one shed, fish, poul- 
try, vegetables, fruit and flowers, and meat, each have their 
separate department, and I cannot describe how my heart 
leaped as my eyes gazed on a Western sugar-cured ham. 
Dear American friend ! These united markets occupy five 
acres, and are well worth a visit. 

In the Bue du Jour, near the market, was next to the 
largest church in Paris, St. Eustache, and as I made it a 



IN PARIS. 129 

particular duty never to neglect visiting a churcli, we went 
in. It has a large attendance on account of its good organ 
and superior music, but to me it was more interesting on ac- 
count of its superb painting and sculpture. It is universally 
admired as a fine specimen of architecture. It is a Gothic 
cathedral in size and plan, but where taste proposed other 
designs, such were adopted, and in the interior we see Doric, 
Corinthian, Composite, and Ionic schools used where the 
effect is more vivid. The finest monument is that of Colbert, 
representing him as the centre figure, supported by allegorical 
representations of Religion and Virtue. Under a glass case 
were reliques of St. Eustache, but Madame would not give 
me time to examine them ; I think she rather doubted my 
faith-. Here we witnessed the funeral service of a little babe ; 
its young parents, without a friend near them, alone followed 
the dear one to its lowly bed, where it must sleep alone. 

During our absence, the girls had attempted to do some 
shopping for themselves, and in defiance of their ignorance 
of the French language, had acquitted themselves remark- 
ably well, and received amusement enough to make us laugh 
on our return, for we were getting ready to make a tour of 
Switzerland and Germany, and were glad of any pretext to 
laugh and make merry, for we must acknowledge to a little 
timidity on starting for more unknown lands. 



F* 



PART IV. 

SWITZERLAND. 

" Here are the Alpine landscapes which create 
A fund for contemplation ; — to admire 
Is a brief feeling of a trivial date ; 

But sometimes worthier do such scenes inspire; 
Here to be lonely is not desolate, 

For much I view which I could most desire. 
And, above all, a lake I can behold 
Lovelier, not dearer, than our own of old." 

Byron. 

The peculiar temperament of the American people is that 
of being in a hurry, the one most strikingly developed in 
foreign countries is not being in a hurry ; so on the evening 
of Wednesday, with our luggage all ready and ourselves im- 
patient, we waited for a carriage which we had supposed to 
be ordered ; but, no, at the last minute two persons went in dif- 
ferent directions and brought us two carriages, so Monsieur and 
Madame accompanied us to the station from which we would 
take the train for Geneva. We knew we were already some 
distance from it, as the station on the Boulevard Mazas was 
even beyond the Place de la Bastille, so a long ride was 
before us. In the first carriage sat Pomona, Artemis, and 
Clio ; Erato was with Monsieur and Madame in the second 
carriage. The first party rolled rapidly through the city and 
soon arrived at the goal ; paid the driver and waited for the 
occupants of the second carriage, who, coming more leisurely, 
saw the grand aqueduct, the Hospital for Skin Diseases, and 
the great improvements in the laying out of streets. Bevo- 
lutions are rough reformations, it is true, but, nevertheless, 
130 



SWITZERLAND. 131 

from tlie evil good lias sprung up, in the shape of wider 
streets and renovation of dingy-looking houses. 

But here we are in a spacious building and no one to tell 
us where to go. We advance to the ticket-office, or rather 
one of the many, and the official attending has already 
become distracted by an American lady who wished to go on 
to Geneva that night, while he declares there's an informal- 
ity in her ticket which will prevent her from going until the 
next day. She looks around despairing, while we inwardly 
quake in anticipation of like trouble ; but, no, our slips are all 
correct, — but where are the cars ? We try door after door, 
get into mysterious avenues, which look coolly forbidden ; at 
length we stumble over an officer, who separates us from 
Monsieur, and we frantically bid him " hon soir'' and " adieu '' 
over the heads of about a dozen people. We then rush on 
with them, and find them scattering, leaving us still bewildered 
in this labyrinth of corridors. 

At length we meet an English gentleman ; we appeal to 
him ; he replies : " Ladies, I know no more about the intrica- 
cies of this place than you do ; but follow me and we'll find 
our way out somehow," which, fortunately for our departure 
at half-past eight o'clock, we did, following our impromptu 
guide with all the confidence of womanhood. We had 
Madame still with us, but when the doors were opened from 
the waiting-room, she was not allowed to come out on the train 
platform ; we kissed in French fashion, first on one cheek, then 
on the other, several times, for we felt sorry at the last to 
leave her, she was so lovely, then bade her " adieus We 
rushed along with the other anxious passengers to hunt for 
a car ; it was just as before, no one to give you any concise 
direction, and no one to aid you in the search. After, through 
our own strenuous exertions, we were comfortably seated in 
a travelling carriage that we had picked out, who should we 
see smiling in at us from the car-window but our dear friend 



132 WE FOUR. 

Madame. By what arts she had overcome those officials, who 
reminded me of the clerks in the Circumlocution Office com- 
memorated by Dickens, who tried " how not to do it," we 
shall never learn, but there she was, bland and beautiful as 
ever. 

But she must go now, our adieux were hastily said again, 
when hurriedly there entered our car an elderly gentleman 
and a young lady. The only other occupant besides ourselves 
was a young French lady, settled in one corner. We gazed 
upon rather flat scenery till the last glimmer of twilight had 
faded in gloom, and then settled ourselves for as comfortable 
a sleep as a sitting posture warranted. "We were told that 
everyhody went to Greneva by night. I have done it once, 
I shall do so no more, even at the risk of being nobody. 
You cannot see what beauties the landscape might offer, nor 
can you enjoy the repose in a sleeping berth which tired nature 
needs, and so the morning finds you weary and forlorn from 
the effects of not having the needful rest. Just as I was 
settling myself into a slumber I was roused by our guard 
opening the door and querying something. 

" What does he say ?" my American companions asked. 

" Does he want the tickets ?" I sleepily inquired. 

" No ; he is asking something." 

I roused myself from my American thoughts to French 
words, and heard the inquiry, " Are you all one party?" 

" Oid^ oui^'' I replied ; but our guard did not seem 
altogether satisfied with my reply, and locked the door with 
an emphatic noise, and grumbled as he moved off at, I suppose, 
American stupidity. 

On we went, not heeding stopping-places, although always 
roused from a disorganized attempt at sleep by such stoppings, 
for we knew that we would not reach Macon until seven 
o'clock in the morning ; which, however, proved later, as one 
cannot make calculations as to arrivals or exits in Europe. 



S Wl TZER LAND. 133 

How gladly we welcomed tlie rising sun, although too sleepy 
to appreciate the grandeur of its rising ! how much more 
gladly did we take our morning draught of wine (instead of 
coffee), and eat our rolls and biscuits ! Just as we all had 
finished our matutinal meal, which we Americans shared to- 
gether, as our little French passenger did not appear to take 
to us very kindly, our carriage-door was ruthlessly opened, 
and the guard, backed by another official, ordered our gentle- 
man passenger to descend. As he did not understand French, 
he could not see the reason of this peremptory order, and 
American-like was tempted to resist, while the lady, his niece, 
clung to him and bade him stay. We advised him to descend, 
and his fair companion attempted to go with him, but the 
guard waved her back, and on getting their victim safely out 
— locked us in again. We could hardly explain to the 
frightened girl, in words choked with laughter, that uncon- 
sciously in the dark, and not understanding the French pla- 
card on the door, her uncle had spent the night in a carriage 
intended for " ladies only." 

When we arrived at Macon, where breakfast and a good 
wash could be obtained, the latter one has to pay for, as well 
as the former, our old friend of the night came up to the 
carriage-window and said, " Ladies, I was turned out of here, 
where there were six ladies, and seated in the next car, where 
there are now six gentlemen and one lady. I should like to 
know which position was the most creditable, mine with six 
ladies, or hers with five gentlemen ? If I could have spoken 
French, I should have insisted that the lady should be 
removed to this car." 

" Probably one of the gentlemen was a relative of the 
lady," I suggested. 

" I suppose she was," he remarked ; " but this is villainous 
travelling." 

We felt in a better mood, however, now, and as the niece 

12 



134 WE FOUR. 

was satisfied of her uncle's safety, and that lie had not been 
carried off to some dismal dungeon, we talked over our vicissi- 
tudes in the way of travelling, and our expenditures in the 
way of knick-knacks, that the time passed very pleasantly 
until we arrived at Geneva. 

lovely city on the lake ! how can I describe thee ! Mont 
Blanc looks calmly down upon thy picturesque beauty as 
a father watching over his youthful daughter. We were 
delighted with the Hotel du Lac ; the proprietor, Mr: Spah- 
linger, making us feel more like guests of his hospitality 
than boarders. Our evening walk was to the River Rhone, 
which here draws its curious blue waters from the lake, and 
from a height you can trace this indigo current through the 
peaceful bosom of G-eneva's charming water, which proves to 
be the home of twenty-one different kinds of fish. On the 
river, but attached to the banks, are floating sheds, on which 
are the tubs and boards of the washwomen. It is a busy 
sight of a summer evening to see them, large, muscular, but 
good-looking dames, beating, with a mallet in each brawny 
hand, the soiled clothing, then they scrub them with a brush, 
using plenty of soap, and, I suppose, the color of the water 
adds the hlueing property, for they come from under this 
process very white. Just as the women wring them, they 
are taken in wheelbarrows by men out to the suburbs, where 
in large enclosures, rented by a number of laundresses to- 
gether, they are shaken out and hung up to dry. I do not 
know how long your clothing will stand such usage, but you 
cannot complain of their color. 

There was an extra amount of building going on in conse- 
quence of a legacy left to the city by the Duke of Brunswick, 
who died here. The Theatre was not yet finished ; the Musee 
Rath, named for its founder, which contained some very fine 
pictures, was to be enlarged, and more paintings added ; while 
the University, situated in the Botanical Gardens, came in 



SWITZERLAND. 135 

for a liberal share. A certain amount was to be devoted to 
a monument to his memory, which was in process of con- 
struction. The pedestal is of a red granite, and the four 
griffins for its corners were already completed. 

There are many beautiful walks around, in the park and in 
gardens. Rousseau's garden contains a statue of him ; the 
Botanical Gardens were laid out quite handsomely ; the Boule- 
vard along the Quai was a resort on the summer evenings, 
for Geneva is full of tourists at this time of the year, besides 
being the residence of many wealthy English families for the 
season. We walked out on the jetty, where we obtained the 
handsomest view of Geneva and its surrounding mountains, 
and the lake, which from its blueish-green surface does not 
reflect the yellow tints of the sun, but instead a glowing 
purple, the robe of the Sun-God, but not his crown. There 
were narrow streets, people who showed signs of poverty and 
wretchedness ; but even as we threaded our way in and out 
among the purlieus of the city, the eye was pleased with the 
curious old houses, with the quaint carvings, the soft light 
through a stone passage-way, the picturesqueness even of the 
rags, and the dark beauty of the southern type of the people. 

By devious ways we reach the old Cathedral where Calvin 
preached his harsh polemics. Its quaint towers are still the 
city's landmarks, but it is so built up around it that it was 
difficult to find the entrance. As the service was in French, 
we concluded to go to a beautiful little English church, into 
which we entered merely in time for the ante-communion 
service and sermon. The text was, " He loved Jonathan as 
his own soul," but the preacher did not sufficiently enter into 
the spirit of his own sermon. We visited a Russian church, 
where there were some superior paintings, and relics in silver 
and gold, and rich embroidery, a perfect treasure-house, but 
the congregation is very small, and, as the young man said 
who acted as a guide, he thought they would be obliged to 



136 WE FOUR. 

discontinue the services. The Jewish synagogue was much 
better attended, and the rabbi showed us one of the scrolls 
of the law. 

The house in which Calvin lived is shown to travellers, and 
the palace where royalty once dwelt is now the City Hall. 
Geneva contains some very beautiful residences ; that of the 
Baron de Rothschild, just a little out of the city, is open to 
strangers who obtain an official permit to walk over his 
grounds ; but we felt that our time was too limited to sj)end any 
of it in mere visiting, even if it was to the Baron de Boths- 
child ! We had decided to make an excursion to Chamounix, 
and here one mistake was made, which I insert for the benefit 
of any of our readers who shall travel that way. We left 
our luggage at Geneva, and in consequence were obliged to 
return ; and we discovered that we mis-ht have continued our 
journey through Switzerland by the Martigny Pass, and 
avoid repeating our route. We found out our mistake too 
late. 

Clio and Erato called at the Diligence Office on Saturday 
evening to engage seats for the party on Monday morning. 
One of the officials prided himself on his superior acquaint- 
ance with the English language, and, instead of showing his 
reluctance to speak a tongue of which he knew but little, used 
it on all occasions, much to our amusement. He would per- 
sist in saying, " Good-morning, ladies, good-morning, ladies," 
while the sun was dying in the west, and somehow preferred 
the Americanism, " Excuse me," to the frequent English one, 
" Beg pardon," and every few moments he ejaculated, " Good- 
morning, ladies ; excuse me, ladies ; good-morning, ladies," 
until we left for fear we would hurt his feelings, for he seemed 
a tender-hearted man, by laughing outright. 

Geneva is a city of watches and jewelry, the latter not only 
exquisite but reasonable in price. We went into one store 
on the Quai, and the proprietor gave us chairs near his case, 



S WITZERLA ND. 137 

while he was showing us costly bracelets and scarf-pins. I 
wondered at the confidence of the man, — no one with him 
but a small boy, sitting at the back of the store, and four of 
us near the door, to whom he was carelessly showing hun- 
dreds of dollars' worth of goods. He might have been a good 
physiognomist, or he might have been an unsuspicious dealer. 
We went into another fine establishment opposite our little 
English church, and there, one of the firm stood by the door ; 
another, in apparently careless attitude, strolled up and down 
between us and the other guard, while a workman, because 
he could speak English, waited upon us ; and very careful he 
was that very few of his valuable goods were out of the case 
at one time. It was evident to me that they had been robbed 
at some previous time, probably by Americans or English ; 
hence their suspicion. I did not blame their scrutiny ; still, 
it was rather uncomfortable to feel that you were being 
watched. They gradually relaxed their vigilance, however, 
when they found that the purport of the visit was for pur- 
chase, and the pedestrian gentleman ceased his monotonous 
walking, and the doorkeeper gave us bland adieux as he 
opened the door wide for us to depart. 

Franklin says, " Suspect every man to be a rogue until you 
find him honest;" so it was on that principle our Geneva 
firm acted. We were accosted on the street by a man sell- 
ing the most exquisite cameos for a mere song. He said he 
had brought them from Italy, and was in want of money, or 
else he would not sell them so cheaply. 

G-eneva abounds also in music-boxes, and one is charmed 
by their sweet tones often as you pass the factories for their 
manufacture. Wood carvings, though made and sold to a great 
extent, are not as plenty here as at Lucerne or Interlachen ; 
in fact, the latter place seems to grow them spontaneously. 
Early on Saturday morning we were awakened by a clatter 
on the square opposite our hotel and a babel of tongues, and 

12^- 



l;;S WE FOUR. 

on looking out were astonished to find it the market-place. 
Donkeys were standing round tied to trees, which had brought 
panniers full of provisions, and the hucksters too, we think, 
to market. The women were a novelty to us, who had just 
come from Paris, where working-girls went along without hat 
or bonnet, only an umbrella or parasol to cover them from 
the hot sun, to see these with enormous straw hats, as large 
as vestibule mats, for a head-covering. A ribbon from the 
inner crown tied this enormous platter under the chin, then, 
if you imagine a short worsted dress, an extremely large 
apron with immense pockets, woollen stockings, and thick- 
soled, heavy shoes, you can form some faint idea of the Gre- 
neva market-woman. The butter was spread out on trays, 
exposed to the rays of the sun and the dust of the highway ; 
but fortunately their market does not last all day ; by ten 
o'clock they had, like the Arabs, 

''Silently s to ?e away." 

The flower-market was around on another street, and we 
quite forgot the nondescript venders as we revelled in the 
beauty and the fragrance of God's messengers. Bouquets, 
wreaths, as well as pot-flowers, could be had for a mere trifle, 
and we passed them reluctantly, only wishing we could bring 
them at once to Philadelphia and lay them down at our home- 
friends' feet. 

''0 Chamouni, sweet Ghamouni !" 

So sung one whose heart beat in pulsations with the great 
mother-heart of Nature, for it seems to me that in Switzer- 
land all the loveliness of the world has been thrown here as 
from a cornucopia. A friend suggested that there was no 
sea here. I am glad of it, — that is to be one of the delights 
of heaven, and why not in this earthly paradise ? We look 
upon the Alps, and we see a heart, unmoved by the storms 
and wind currents of every-day life, fixing its eye of faith on 



S WITZERLA ND. 139 

the Supreme ; we gaze upon the valleys, and we see a heart 
peacefully receiving the blessings from above, and, in spite 
of cruel scars and wounds, always giving up its treasures 
without thought of self. We see the cascades and the rivers, 
and we recognize a heart, bright and gladsome, always ready 
to do the will of Him who sent it. 

But the sea does not wake this train of thought ; it ap- 
pears like the guilty heart that, down in its muddy depths, 
keeps its own secrets, and only when moved by outward dis- 
turbances manifests so much of the evil spirit within. 

Thus spoke I, to Erato, and she threw something of my 
idea into verse, and, as a prelude to our full enjoyment of 
Switzerland, I will transcribe the few stanzas here. They 
were written while gazing at the Jungfrau, which will re- 
ceive its due commendation in its own order, but are as suit- 
able for one peak of the Alps as another. 

TO THE A'LPS. 

Thy lofty peaks are hid from view 

By clouds that hover round, 
And guard with jealous care thy heights 

As consecrated ground ! 

And yet, I know, above the haze 

A glory shrines thy head, 
A radiance in which God alone 

In majesty doth tread. 

And thus, I thought, it is in life. 

The rugged, toilsome way 
Is brightly beaconed at the top 

By heaven's steady ray; 

But only glimpses do we have, 

For clouds obscure the sight 
Of the glory that awaits us all 

Upon the heavenly height. 

It was a beautiful morning, the hour seven, when we took 
our seats in the banquette, the upper story of the diligence, 



140 WE FOUR. 

to start for Chamounix. How can I describe the exliilara- 
tion of that ride ! Not only the fresh breeze from the 
mountains, but the very mountains themselves, gave us in- 
spiration. Who could see them towering above us in silent 
grandeur, with their white peaks touching the sky, without 
feeling better, physically and mentally and spiritually, for the 
sight ? I think it was William Howitt, who lived in Germany 
for many years, who said, " Thank Grod for the mountains !" 
I have echoed and re-echoed his thanksgiving at every new 
peak that rose on my horizon. We were besieged and beset, 
I do not know which word is more appropriate, by sturdy 
little beggars, dirty and ragged, who swarmed around our 
diligence like bees. Some American gentlemen threw them 
United States coin, which they seized with the same avidity 
as if it were the currency of the country, but the lamentable 
part of the scene, outside of their squalor, was their fighting ; 
six down upon the ground with their heads almost in the 
dust, trying, each to obtain the one miserable copper that had 
been thrown out to them. As we passed groups upon groups 
of these distressing, miniature old men, and also the blind 
sitting by the wayside, begging, I could not help thinking of 
the missionary hymn, which says, " And only man is vile." 

And, everywhere through Switzerland and Grermany, women 
occupy the position of an inferior animal, being harnessed 
to wagons, which they draw, sometimes alone, sometimes in 
company with a dog. They do the heavy work of the fields, — 
plough, mow, rake hay, and carry the harvest to the barn on 
their heads ; besides this, obliged to get the meals and wait to 
eat when their lord and master has finished. 

" I think I shall look here for a wife," observed an Amer- 
ican gentleman. 

" Remain here with her, then," chimed in Erato ; " don't 
bring her to America." 

" Why not?" queried the wife-hunter. 



SWITZERLAND. 141 

" Because we'll teacli her better things, and your drudge is 
ruined for drudgery." 

One of the pretty features of German life was the wayside 
crosses hung with wreaths of flowers, and under the very snow 
itself were blooming those sweet reminders of a Father's love. 
The fields were thick with poppies, and in the small latticed 
windows and rustic balconies of those picturesque Swiss 
cottages, were placed pots of flowers, blooming in this land of 
eternal snow. 

Fifty-one miles up-hill to Chamounix ! We had to stop often 
to change horses ; our ■ longest rest was for breakfast and 
dinner at Cluses and Sallanches, and it was half-past four 
before we arrived at the lovely valley. Our first view was 
of a number of hotels clustered together, then of booths of 
carven work, mules and donkeys with their tired-looking 
riders, a babel of tongues, and a confusion of faces, but beyond 
all this was Mont Blanc calmly looking at us from his hoary 
eyebrows ; there were the attendant peaks, with the solemnity 
of courtiers waiting on a king ; beneath their slopes, were 
the green fields, and through them murmured the little brooks, 
telling the story of their birth among the mountains, until its 
cadence was lost in the turbulent Arveiron ; I say turbulent 
advisedly, although now calm beneath the glowing sun. 

We put up at the Hotel Boyale, and, after spending a 
pleasant evening with a lady and gentleman from Indiana, 
retired to rest, that we might be strengthened for our trip on 
the morrow to the Mer-de-Glace. The ascent is generally 
made upon mules, with a guide and a muleteer, but, as Pomona 
was the only equestrienne of our party, we concluded that 
one quadruped would be enough for us. It proved so, as 
Artemis walked the whole distance, only resting at the chalets 
on our route, while Erato tried the animal twice, but each 
time making so many objections to the reaching up to the back 
of the mule, that the accompanying tourists from the chalets 



142 WE FOUR. 

were very much amused. A step-ladder had to be brought out, 
for her accommodation whenever she was wilUng to mount. 
Besides, the four-footed beast was blind and the guide indif- 
ferent, and she was in constant dread of being pitched over 
the precipices. The ascent was so gradual that one would 
hardly know he was climbing, were it not that, looking back, 
the valley of the Chamounix was gradually fading away into 
the distance. I remember, when a little girl, having Grerman 
toys to play with, — little villages and farm-houses, with stiiF 
trees and no less stiff animals, — these I used to spread out 
upon the table or upon the floor, and these childish recollec- 
tions came over me as I looked down upon the Swiss farm- 
houses and churches, only, these were the reality of what my 
toys represented. Reaching the apex of Mont Montanvert, 
where lunch could be had, and from which the mules were 
sent around to meet us after we had crossed the " sea qfice,^^ 
we got ready for our perilous walk on the glacier. 

How cold and bleak it was up here ! Yegetation had dis- 
appeared, the Alpine flowers we had plucked were withering 
in this ungenial atmosphere ; the surrounding peaks, the 
Needles, in the French better known as the Aiguille de Dru, 
Aiguille de Moine, and, 13,000 feet above the sea-level. 
Aiguille Verte, reared their icy heads in haughty silence ; 
the glaciers, the collection of centuries, like a turbulent lake 
over whose waters had breathed the words " Peace, be still P^ 
lay between these white-robed sentinels. No trees, no plants, 
no flowers, no grass; nothing but stones and ice before us; 
no birds, no instinctive voice of growing nature ; but the 
silence of a prison-house reigned, the silence of nature in 
chains. A chamois, a fine animal, had broken its leg while 
climbing here ; a young man, a tourist, fell, and his mangled 
body, in which the breath of life was still fluttering, was 
picked up and carried back to Chamounix to the hotel. He 
was living three days after the accident, but whether crippled 



SWITZERLAND. 143 

lie still walks tlie earth, or the bruised frame has been resting 
in the quiet grave, we shall never know. 

Then we came to a cross of wood on which was nailed a 
contribution-box, — to contain the donations of the kindly to 
the family of a guide, who sacrificed his life among these 
cliffs to save the timid travellers. With such examples, we 
commenced the passage of the Mer-de-Grlace. 

A man had a booth there, in which he was selling most 
beautiful stones, amethysts, agates, and clear crystals, the 
treasures of the Alps. He fired off a small cannon that the 
detonations might be noticed, and also blew the Alpine horn. 
It seemed as if every rock acknowledged the signals. I once 
read an article on the low tones of the mountaineers, so dif- 
ferent from the high key of the dwellers in valleys, and I 
noticed among ourselves a disposition to speak lower, for our 
own voices seemed to jar the solemn stillness that brooded here. 

We peered down a crevasse evidently formed by the gradual 
melting of the ice upon the cliffs, and there were huge 
boulders so lodged in it, that the bottom of the abyss, if 
bottom there was, could not be seen. Our guide, in his Swiss 
patois, gave Pomona much credit for the nimbleness with 
which she scaled this icy field and leaped from rock to rock 
in the descent, to use his own words, " like a chamois^ 

So far we had appeared to be the sole treaders of that icy 
sea; but, as we neared the opposite sliore, we saw a man with 
a pick, ostensibly looking for precious stones, but, as I learned 
afterwards, waiting for small coin from the passers-by. Our 
cicerone engaged him to help us over the dangerous rocks 
which we were now ascending ; so, taking my hand, his sure 
eye and steady foot gave me a feeling of security as we 
traversed a narrow path winding around the rocks. Mont 
Blanc was enveloped in clouds, and the grayness of an Arctic 
winter hung around us. I looked down, down on to the icy 
field which we had left but a few moments ago, and as I 



144 WE FOUR. 

gazed I felt the terrible thought stealing over me of the one 
misstep that would lay my crushed and bleeding body in that 
frozen gorge. But, in every event, whether it comes into our 
moral, mental, or physical life, the rule is still the same, 
"look up." Only above is the strength, as David realized 
when he said, " I will lift up my eyes unto the hills from 
whence cometh my help." Now we heard the falling of 
water, and were told we would soon reach the Cascade of 
Mont Blanc, of which name we expected better things than 
we saw. A silver trickle of water from an immense height 
was beautiful, but it was not majestic, it was not grand ; it 
was no more a " Mont Blanc" than it was a Niagara. We 
here dismissed our extra guide with the gratuity of " fifty 
centimes," and, with Pomona in the van, proceeded merrily 
on with the prospect of Le Mauvais Pas yet to come. In 
a wide pathway on the mountain side we came across a party, 
with their guides, who had started from the opposite direction 
to our ascent. A well-proportioned, well-set gentleman said, 
as we passed him, " I will not be able to go much farther, 
my head is giddy now." 

"Poor man," we thought, "just started, as it were, and 
giddy ; what will be the result ?" We heard of no accident, 
so we concluded the light-headed gentleman had turned back. 
We then met a youth, who inquired if he was near the top. 
Bather an ambiguous question in this time of ascent and de- 
scent, but, as Clio politely informed him that he had only 
traversed the one-fourth of the predestined route, we hope 
the answer was satisfactory enough to stimulate him to further 
exertions. 

Here we are now at the "Bad Step,^^ according to the 
proper translation of its name, and we think we made worse 
" mauvais pas" before we reached it. There is a hand-rail of 
iron attached to the rocks, and steps were hewn out for the 
descent, taking away the romantic view of it and making it 



SWITZERLAND. 145 

entirely too practical for us, wlio were ready for marvellous 
undertakings and liair-breadth escapes. We found our alpen- 
stocks of no advantage, in fact, rather at a discount. It 
is customary for tlie guide to take tliem from the ladies on 
arriving at this dangerous pass, so as to leave the tourist at 
perfect liberty to take care of herself; but Erato and Po- 
mona were so far in advance of the guide that they were 
obliged to dispense with his attentions. 

We were now reaching the region of the sun, and were 
glad to rest at the Chapeau-and drink from the icy spring. 
Dinner is provided here, but, as we knew another hour would 
bring us to our hotel, we concluded to hasten on, particularly 
as dark clouds were already rising in the western horizon, 
and we did not altogether fancy a thunder-storm among the 
mountains, unless we could witness it from a shelter. 

The descent to the vale is now easy ; in fact, better on foot 
than on a mule, for one feels like pitching over the animal's 
head, so abrupt is the declivity. By our experience we would 
suggest to the Alps' explorer to dismiss the mules on the top 
of Montanvert, and thus save the three francs for taking them 
around and waiting for you, for when you reach the level 
road you find stages ready to take to Chamounix those who 
are by this time too tired to walk ; but such roads, such 
lovely roads ! one is almost tempted to pedestrianism by such 
smooth ground ; no treacherous stone to hit the unwary corn, 
no deceitful crevasse with its pool of water, no concealed 
morass in which the traveller plunges. No ! the shiny road 
lies smooth and clean as far as the eye can reach, and often 
in the cars we longed for a walk over that silvery string that 
stretched through Switzerland. 

When we reached Chamounix, having traversed about 

nineteen miles, the guide says, — which, to do Artemis credit 

as a pedestrienne, she made it entirely on foot, — we saw 

that the stages were just in and all was excitement ; one lady 

G 13 



146 WE FOUR. 

was rather amused at my entree into town on a mule, but 
I calmly thought, " By to-morrow evening, mademoiselle, you 
will be coming by the same route in your mountain costume." 

How we relished our dinner ! But my good reader is well 
aware of the blessedness of eating when one is hungry ; but, 
more than that, there were two genial American faces at our 
board, which made the feast all the more enjoyable. In the 
evening we sauntered through the bazaars, so full of pretty 
things that one knows hardly how to begin to buy, or where, 
when well begun, to end. 

But the rain which threatened us on the mountains now 
came down in heavy drops, but unaccompanied by the thun- 
der and lightning we had feared ; this splendid shower left 
the air so cool that in the morning we thought we had flown 
over three months and were enjoying the bracing atmosphere 
of an autumnal day. We had engaged our seats in the dili- 
gence two days before, and, on arriving at the station, handed 
our checks to the conductor, in order that he might show us 
our diligence, but he pocketed the card and nonchalantly walked 
away, merely pointing to a large coach to the rear of the 
building. On attempting to scale its ladder, the driver asked 
for our tickets, and said the conductor should not retain them. 
We saw the manoeuvre on the part of the official at once. 
Being four of the weaker sex, we must pay him something- 
extra for our places in the diligence. Our indignation, as 
free citizens of America, was roused at this attempt at swin- 
dling, and, en masse, we determined to go to Gleneva that morn- 
ing in one of the coaches without giving any additional fees. 
To outwit our sneaking conductor, for he hid himself in his 
office, was our determination, so, when a driver placed his 
ladder by the side of his vehicle, we womanned it. Here an 
American voice interposed : " Ladies, I engaged that place 
last evening ; I should like to have it." 

" Did you engage five, sir ?" asked Erato, in her most per- 



SWITZERLAND. 14*7 

emptory tone, while inwardly, slie was quaking at the di- 
lemma in whicli this gentleman's apparently just claim would 
involve us. 

" No, miss ; only one." 

" Then cannot we occupy the other four. seats, sir?" 

" Certainly ; jump up." 

He mounted the ladder, which we had vacated on hearing 
his first address, and held out his hand to assist we four. 
Erato was the first to ascend, and bag and baggage and her- 
self were all comfortably placed, when up came our irate driver 
and took possession of the vacated rungs, and forbade any 
more uprisers until the tickets were produced. 

" Descendez^ mademoiselle ^^^ he reiterated to the compla- 
cent Erato in her high position. 

"Je ne descendrai pas, Tnonsieur,^' to the conductor, and, 
" Come up, girls," to her worried-looking party below. 

" Easy to say ' come up' ; but how are we to accomplish it 
while that fellow stands there ?" 

He was obliged, however, by the appearance of other pas- 
sengers to step down, and the lugubrious trio mounted at 
once to the banquette. He rushed back when he saw them 
scaling his ladder, but " possession is nine points of law ;" so 
he was obliged to content himself with a few ejaculations in 
an unknown tongue, while we calmly sat and gazed into the 
blue depths above us. 

"Are we in the right coach ?" asked Pomona, as the spir- 
ited horses started now on the road down-hill. 

" No, indeed," answered Erato, calmly ; " we took an ex- 
cursion ticket in Cook's coach, and we are going back in one 
of Oaze's." 

" But will there not be trouble?" 

" None for us ; whatever occurs will be between Graze and 
Cook. We are bound for Geneva, and some coach must take 
us there. We paid enough to be allowed to return." 



148 WE FOUR. 

But I may as well state here tliat no trouble occurred. We 
alighted at another office than the one from which we mounted, 
but no questions were asked, and it was well for the company's 
agent in Chamounix that we four arrived in safety without 
being charged extra fees. It was quite a short ride back, 
being all down-hill, but it was extremely cold, even with our 
wraps, the fresh air of the mountains so covered with snow, 
giving us their icy breath ; we had a better view of the wind- 
ings of the Arve than before, with the trickling streamlets 
that formed its tributaries, feeding it from the vast larder of 
the Alps. We were gladly welcomed by our good host of the 
Hotel du Lac, who gave us our own old rooms again, and then, 
after another ramble through Rousseau's garden, and on the 
Quai and to the jetty, a parting glance at the old Cathedral 
de St. Pierre, a lingering for a few moments on the picturesque 
bridge, and we bade " good-by" to the home of Yoltaire, Cal- 
vin, and Kousseau, one place to contain so dissimilar charac- 
ters. It was not so pleasant as when we had first arrived ; 
the wind was high and no rain had fallen to settle the dust, 
which, in consequence of so much building and repairs, was 
very thick, but, for all, my memory lingers tenderly around 
Greneva. Other excursions beside the Mer-de-Grlace can be 
made while at Chamounix, such as the " Glacier des Boissons, 
Source of the Arveiron, Flegere ;" but, as a fellow-traveller 
remarked, " Why climb every peak if one gives the desired 
view, or why cross every glacier, if one can give you the 
knowledge of its formation and an experience of its perils?" 
Feeling, therefore, satisfied with our excursion to Chamounix, 
we took the train, which skirted the beautiful shores of the 
heauti/ul lake, and revelled in the morning splendor of the 
landscape before us. We concluded not to stop at Lausanne, 
memorable for its proximity to the Castle of Chillon, but 
proceed on to Berne, as, so far as architecture was concerned, 
we saw Chillon's counterpart while travelling through the 



SWITZERLAND. 149 

country. Passing one of the picturesque cottages wliicli dot 
the smilins: fields. I saw a woman rush from the kitchen-door 
with terror depicted on every lineament of her countenance, 
while a man followed her and seized her by the throat with 
both his hands. Another woman, just entering the gate, 
screamed, but put her hands before her eyes in dread of see- 
ing the result, instead of seizing at once the handiest weapon 
to strike the arrant coward that would touch a woman with 
such brutal force. But the train moved on, and I saw not 
the ending of this domestic tragedy, this glimpse of the 
human hell in the very heart of Nature's paradise. 

Here we are at Berne, with time enough to visit the Ca- 
thedral and the Bear Pit, while we were obliged to wait to 
make the connection of trains ; but we saw not the Cathedral 
nor the Bear Pit, on account of that one great drawback to 
the unmarred pleasures of travelling, — " baggage /" We had 
registered two valises for safe delivery at Interlachen, and, 
while passing the baggage-room, saw one of them with its 
side ominously bulging, and, '■'-Look ! what a rent /" simulta- 
neously escaped from our lips. We concluded to take pos- 
session of the one travelling-bag which had been so badly 
treated ; but, with all our expressive English, our concise 
French, and emphatic pantomime, we could not reach the 
brain of the Grerman official that he might comprehend us. 
We were almost despairing, when an English question of 
" Can I help you, ladies?" spoken with a Glerman accent and 
with a Grerman tone, aroused us to hope. 

" Will you explain to these porters that we want the broken 
bag, but intend to leave the large one still in the baggage-room, 
and expressly state to them it was bad management that it has 
been so defaced ? I have asked repeatedly for the bureau of 
the baggage-master, and each refuse to direct me," said Erato. 

" I am afraid you will get no redress, ladies, as they protest 
the bag was already broken." 

13* 



150 WE FOUR. 

We saw, however, that, not fully understanding our jargon, 
the men were rather awed, and were making excuses, as apol- 
ogetically, as we desired. " We knew they would not give us 
the equivalent in money ; but we do not intend to submit 
tamely to any injustice, so we will have our satisfaction in 
scolding." 

Our new friend laughed ; but he delivered our message, and 
the porter with great obsequiousness took heavy twine and 
corded up the unfortunate fine leather bag. We had paid 
at Greneva to have it registered ; it was now slit down the 
side, and in reward we were forced to carry it to Interlachen 
ourselves. They could well afford to be polite and obsequious 
to the victims. Our friend in time of need was a resident 
of Missouri, but had brought his wife and children to Ger- 
many to visit their relations ; he was now merely on a pleasure 
trip through Switzerland, but tired enough of the old world and 
anxious to get back to the new. How persons could lose all 
attachment to their native land and let every fibre of their 
hearts twine around the land of their adoption, was an enigma 
that I vainly tried to solve while in my sojourn in Europe ; nor 
have I since my return obtained a solution to the problem. 
Our tickets were marked to Thun or Schertzligen, and, as we 
were anxious not to be misled in our travels, we made it a 
subject of inquiry. The handsome and obliging conductor 
spoke slowly and carefully in his own language ; but we gazed 
at him "so childlike and bland" that he turned away despair- 
ing, for not a word did we understand. A lady, sitting by us, 
then spoke in French, informing us that we must remain in 
the cars when we arrived at Thun, and in five minutes we 
would reach the boat- wharf at Schertzligen. We thanked 
her, and on her arrival at her home- station she reiterated her 
information and bade us good-evening. On reaching Thun 
we followed the directions we had received, much to the con- 
ductor's satisfaction, who smiled kindly upon us, while send- 



SWITZERLAND. 151 

ing those unfortunate passengers back wlio liad not under- 
stood the words on the tickets, " Thun and Schertzligen." 

Arriving in a few minutes at the latter place, we took the 
steamboat for Darlingen. It was now night, and while we 
lost the beauty of coloring that the great artist, the sun, pro- 
duces, we had a perfect picture d la Remhrandt^ with the Jura 
Mountains for the background. The moon was in its first 
quarter, and soon set in the dark waters, and the few stars 
that studded the still darker sky gave a weirdness to the 
scene that impressed one with the idea that we were drifting 
on an enchanted lake, whose mortal name was Thun. The 
disenchantment commenced with a feeling of hunger as we 
saw a portly gentleman and his two sons enjoying beefsteak 
and fried potatoes and fragrant coffee ; but, in attempting to 
procure the same savory viands, we were grieved to find that 
our stewardess, like the conductor, spoke neither French nor 
English, our only mediums of communication. Here was a 
dilemma for hungry people, but a happy thought occurred, 
so we appealed to the young gentleman, who was enjoying 
his supper, for assistance. He answered in our own lan- 
guage : " Ladies, I can speak English better than French. 
Tell me what you want and I will give your order." Thank- 
ing him, we ordered our roast-beef and coffee, with honey and 
rolls, through the medium of the son of the Chevalier de 
Malleman, a gentleman holding a superior position in the 
Austrian Embassy. His two sons were still collegians, and 
had always received the highest honors of their different 
classes. They were young men of whom any father might be 
proud, though placed in a sphere exposed to many temptations, 
and just now, as we also learned, had been made motherless. 
We felt quite refreshed by this excellent supper, for we 
knew we had some miles yet to go by rail, for all bound for 
Interlachen took the cars at Darlingen. The steam-carriages 
on these routes were different again from the Englisli or 



152 WE FOUR. 

French, being cut up into small compartments, with seats on 
both sides of an aisle, more like our style of cars, with the 
exception of not being long ; one of our steam-cars would 
make three of theirs. It was quite dark when we arrived at 
the " Saratoga of Switzerland," but the coaches for the differ- 
ent hotels were ready waiting, so we four and the portly 
Chevalier with his two sons and hand-satchels filled up the 
omnibus for the Victoria. 

How refreshing from the darkness without, and the dust 
and smoke of travel, was the bright gleam of the many lights 
in the central hall and the cool play of the fountain in the 
centre, as the water coquetted with the fresh green plants 
around ! We were shown to our rooms, where we slept the 
sleep of the weary, though longing for the morrow and our 
first view of the Jungfrau. 

The principal rambles about Interlachen are to the cliffs 
of Heimwehfluh, Unspunnen, Beatenberg, Thurmberg, the 
Lauterbrunnen waterfalls, and the Grrindelwald glaciers. As 
we had crossed the Mer-de-Grlace, it would have been a mere 
repetition and time lost to take the Grrindelwald, so we wan- 
dered along at our own sweet wills, which led us into the 
wood-carving establishments, which, with the hotels, comprise 
all the buildings of Interlachen. 

Thus listlessly walking we arrived at Unspunnen, which 
we commenced to ascend, that we might have the view of 
the Jungfrau, that only tantalized us as we gazed at it from 
the public garden. On, on, went this beautiful road, with here 
and there a rustic-seat for the weary traveller. Passing one 
of these sheltered nooks, we saw a gentleman with two ladies, 
sitting. He inquired of us (rather a strange proceeding for 
an Englishman), whether " we could obtain a good view of 
the Jungfrau from this mountain ?" 

" So we were told," was our response ; " but we will climb 
on until we obtain the view." 



SWITZERLAND. 153 

"We are going to rest awliile," was his answer; "if you 
discover a good point will you let us know ?" 

" Certainly, sir," we answered. And, like pilgrims to a 
shrine, pressed devoutly on. 

Although the spirit was indeed willing the flesh was weak, 
and at length my three comrades said, " Indeed, there is no 
use of going farther, we cannot see anything but trees, and 
far above us, they are still growing ; let us return." 

" Return, when so near the goal as we must be ! There is 
certainly a top to this mountain, and I intend to reach it ; 
but you sit there and rest while I explore, if I find it fruitless 
I shall return soon." 

So alone, but undaunted, I climbed the rugged steep for 
five minutes only, for there before me, as I turned a project- 
ing clifi", was the acme of my wishes. 

There she stood, the virgin maid, with her pure mantle 
around her, while her head was crowned with a wreath of 
beauteous green which the Sun-Grod had placed upon it. He 
was looking lovingly down upon her in her perfect beauty, 
while her attendant, " Monk,^' as some call the smaller moun-- 
tain, — "paye" I should say, — was also glowing in the me- 
ridian light. At her feet lay the embowered village of Inter- 
lachen (between lakes) and the lovely Lake Thun, with Lake 
Brienz in the distance, all as courtiers bringing their gifts to 
the foot of the throne, whereon sat a queen. Oh, my pen is 
inadequate to describe the loveliness of the scene before me ! 
and were I a painter, I should cast away my brush from im- 
potency to place upon canvas the glowing colors, the contrasts 
of light and shade, the delicate warmth of atmosphere that 
pervaded the view. 

This was the spot that Frederika Bremer failed to find after 
four hours' wandering. But I must not be selfish, so run- 
ning hastily down, I called to the trio to come up quickly and 
see Nature in her glory. Their weariness fled in the prospect 



154 WE FOUR. 

before them so Hglitly they followed me, only to find that the 
beauteous Jungfrau had gathered her gossamer veil of clouds 
around her to shield her from the too amorous gaze of the 
King of Day, and the scene was changed ! The Lakes Thun 
and Brienz still lay in the sunlight, the picturesque houses 
of Interlachen were still under the shadows of the Eternal 
Hills, yet the fairy loveliness of this land of enchantment 
had fled. But the Jungfrau kindly gave us one glance at 
her beauteous form, before we commenced our descent to the 
vales below. 

A chalet on the hill-side had a modest sign, which informed 
us that wine and beer could be obtained there, and from its 
sacred precincts we saw emerging our English interlocutor 
and his two lady companions. 

" We had a beautiful view of the Jungfrau, and you can 
obtain it with just a short walk from here, turning to the left 
when you arrive at the cross-roads. You need go no higher, 
as the mountain appears to be on a level with you at this 
point." Such was my delighted outpouring of speech. 

" Hi do not think we'll hattempt hit ; my lady friends 
har not has good walkers has you." 

Just listen ! After having the " extraordinary pedestrian 
qualities" of the English ladies dinned into our ears from our 
early youth, we are told that we feeble Americans were good 
walkers ! Nothing can surprise us in the future. Not even 
the fact that what the lovely Jungfrau failed to accomplish, 
the ale or stout was equally as unable to prove a stimulant. 
So we continued our descent until we reached the wood- 
carving establishments, from whose portals we went burdened 
like peddlers to our hotel. 

Our next ramble was to the convent garden. In the quaint 
nunnery are now held three services on Sunday, — the Roman 
Catholic in the morning, the English service in the afternoon, 
in the same chapel, and in another portion of the building 



SWITZERLAND. 155 

tlie Free Cliurcli of Scotland conducts religious worship in 
the morning. There was a gloomy austerity in all the sur- 
roundings ; the very walls had a mysterious air of knowing 
more than they would ever reveal, and an iron-grated window 
close to the ground and almost hidden with weeds made us 
picture the dungeons of the Inquisition, when it might have 
been an innocent ventilator for the cellar. Just give your 
imagination full play in the shady walks of the convent garden 
with its dark walls frowning upon you, and you can become a 
second Mrs. Radcliffe with a tale of horror. 

Saturday^ August 3. — This morning we took the train for 
Boenigen, as also did the Chevalier with his sons ; but as we 
left the " ex- King of PortugaV^ and a " Duchess of somewhere^'' 
still at the Hotel Victoria, we think our absence was not as 
much deplored as under other circumstances it might have 
been. In about fifteen minutes, we arrived at the sweet little 
lake of Brienz, but as we crossed it to the town of the same 
name during a heavy shower, we can only speak in praise 
of its rippled waters, for we saw all the scenery around as 
" through a veil darkly." One striking point on the Lake 
Brienz is the Giessbach. The plan is to leave Interlachen in 
the eveninor and remain until the next mornino; at the Greiss- 
bach hotel, to witness the illumination of the Falls. In 
themselves, we Americans, who live in a land of cascades, 
waterfalls, and cataracts, could see nothing surprising, but 
the effect by means of colored calcium-lights is quite striking. 
We have now left the steamer and the shower, and are wait- 
ing for these slow-moving people to have the coaches ready 
for our ride through the Brunig Pass to Alpnacht. The 
motion of winding around these precipitous rocks is only ob- 
servable by watching the little villages, which seem to sink 
deeper and deeper into the earth like a stage illusion ; for one 
can scarcely realize how high the diligence is ascending. We 
came to one dangerous place, where an extra horse was pro- 



156 WE FOUR. 

vided. I noticed that a woman had charge of the animal for 
our coach, and a gentleman told me he inquired the wages 
of those who attended to this work, and, as women and boys 
are the drivers, the remuneration is ten cents per day. We 
stopped at Sarnen for dinner, and were very much amused at 
a young Swiss, who was evidently on a bridal tour, at least 
we can excuse his behavior only at that account. He em- 
braced the young girl with him with many a loving squeeze, 
held the small hand in his own with a tender clasp, kissed it, 
and, at length growing more daring, pressed many kisses on 
the blushing cheek. For she did blush at such demonstra- 
tions before people, and coaxed him to walk with her away 
from the gaping and laughing crowd. I believe she then 
gave him his first lesson in her power of scolding, for on 
their return he looked very meek, but not quite as affection- 
ate as before. I watched the little children trudging home 
from school in wooden shoes, and wondered to myself how 
such hard foot-gear would feel to me, accustomed to be softly 
shod. Then the toes of them were pointed, when they should 
have been very broad ; but as I never tried the experiment 
of wearing, it is needless to criticise the making. 

We must now take th^ steamer on the Lake of the Four 
Forest Cantons for Lucerne ; but the rain cometh down, and 
the view from a cabin-window or on deck from under an um- 
brella is not very inspiring. I have only one distinct recol- 
lection of the trip, and that was of an old castle at Darmstadt 
that we passed. The gloomy sky above the dark towers of 
the ruins covered with ivy and surrounded by trees, gave me 
a realization of the effects of time with its many storms ; and 
life with its many sorrows. But as we neared Lucerne the 
clouds dispersed, the sun with its golden lips kissed the snow- 
crowned heads of the Righi and Pilatus, and were it not for 
the muddy roads and the damp air that pervaded our Hotel 
Schwanen, we should not have known it had been one rainy 



SWITZERLAND. 157 

day. The general route is to proceed at once to the Righi, 
in order to see the sun rise from its gigantic height ; but the 
clouds gathered again around the departing orb, so we feared 
the experience of the poet, and concluded to take its beauties 
by hearsay, as to but a favored few is that view permitted. 

"Seven weary miles we sped 
The setting sun to see; 
Sulky and grim lie went to bed, 
Sulky and grim went we. 

" Seven weary hours we passed 
The rising sun to see ; 
Sulky and grim arose the sun, 
Sulky and grim rose we." 

Lucerne, though not as beautiful as Greneva, is decidedly 
interesting. One remarkable feature was its fortifications. 
The ramparts and battlements, though ruinous, still show the 
strength of the strange town. Standing on the new bridge, 
these old defences stood out vividly under the deep rays of 
the dying day, and Fcmcy garrisoned them with the brave men 
of the past who have made this little republic in the very 
heart of monarchy. I spoke of standing on the new hridge ; 
the old ones are still there, marked dangerous for horses or 
wagons, but pedestrians still use them, particularly tourists, 
to look at the half-defaced paintings with which the sides of 
the covered bridge are ornamented. We attended service in 
the old Cathedral, in order to hear the tones of the finest 
organ in Switzerland. As there were so many visitors in 
Lucerne we were obliged to stand through both sermon and 
service, but in that position we could the better observe the 
curious carvings and fine paintings of a past era ; then our 
walk through the cloisters, and the graveyard with its ancient 
houses ; one felt almost, as if one was in the spirit world, so 
sacred were the surroundings. Leaving these venerable tombs, 

" 14 



158 WE FOUR. 

we wended our way to the pretty little English church of a 
later style. The sermon was from Romans iv. 25 : " Who 
was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our 
justification." The preacher was the Rev. Stanley Leathes, 
rector of St. Philip's Church, Regent Street, London. 

After lunch we visited the lion of the place, which I beg 
to assure my readers is not intended for slang. The " Lion 
of Lucerne" is a carving from a solid rock, which overhangs 
a miniature lake, of a spear-wounded beast " with its dying 
head and paw upon the shield which bears the cross of Swit- 
zerland." Thorwaldsen's Lion was the model from which this 
was sculptured by Ahorn, from Constance, and it is an ever- 
lasting monument to the memory of the Swiss Guards, who 
lost their lives in attempting to defend Louis XVI. from the 
attacks of the infuriated mob, who were rushing up the stair- 
way at Yersailles to the king's private apartments, August 
10, 1792. The courage and fidelity which actuated them on 
that memorable day still lives in the hearts of the Swiss 
people, and the " Lion of Lucerne" becomes not only com- 
memorative, but symbolical of the inhabitants of that small 
but noble republic. 

We noticed in nearly every establishment a design of three 
men standing with clasped hands, as precious a type to the 
inhabitants of Switzerland as the State-House Bell with us, — 
their symbol of the birth of freedom. At midnight, at Grutli, 
on the banks of the Lake of the Four Forest Cantons, be- 
tween the two, Uri and Unterwalden, thirty men from Schwytz 
and the two just-mentioned cantons, under the leadership of 
Walter Furst, Werner Stauffacher, and Arnold an der Hol- 
den^ took each other's hand and swore an oath to Freedom. 
This confederacy at Grutli of 1307 was made a permanent 
one in 1315, after the great victory at Morgarten. 

In the sunset hour we attended service in the Maria Hilt 
Chapel, which we reached after hunting for it through divers 



SWITZERLAND. 159 

streets and by climbing stone steps. The interior was quite 
plain in contrast with, the highly-decorated churches we had 
seen in our travels. A small table was brought in and placed 
near the pews, and on it were laid a large Bible and hymn- 
book, and the simple service of the Free Church of Scotland 
was conducted by a minister from Boston. As we listened 
to the sermon, our minds reverted to the historical remi- 
niscences of the perilous times of the Scottish Covenanters, 
then to the Puritan faith that was planted on Massachusetts' 
shore, then to the Bomanistic symbols around us, and, as we 
looked up to the words above the altar, " Hilt ! Maria ! 
HiltV we felt as if we too could say, " Hail, thrice hail !" 
for this era when men can worship Grod according to the 
dictates of their own conscience. 

There were not more than a dozen persons who thus met 
together for the first time in a foreign land, and at the 
conclusion of the sermon the Bev. Mr. Scott, of Pittsburg, 
introduced himself to us, and also his friend. Dr. Eben Tour- 
jee, of Boston, Professor of Music and Principal of the 
Music Hall, to whom is given the " honor of planning and 
organizing the largest excursion party which ever left Amer- 
ica." Out of the three hundred which formed his company, 
thirty-six were staying at the Hotel Schwanen, and we four 
were asked to attend a service in the evening in the parlor 
of the dependence of the hotel, in which we already had 
rooms. We shall never forget that evening's gathering in 
that old city, — we, strangers, from the new world meeting to- 
gether as friends in the old, soon to be separated, hoping to 
meet again as immortals in a better world. 

Having thrown our weak voices in with Dr. Tourjee's 
magnificent tones and the full notes of the parlor organ 
brought out beneath his skilful fingers, in those divine melo- 
dies, the Gospel Songs, we listened in rapt admiration to Dr. 
Lorrimer's thoughts on the first Psalm, in connection with a 



160 WE FOUR. 

chapter in Jeremiah's prophecies. One felt no weariness as 
we listened to the simple Gospel told in such beautiful lan- 
guage. I could not refrain from uttering a sigh of sympathy 
for the congregation when I read in the paper that Dr. Lor- 
rimer had left Tremont Temple Baptist Church to take up 
his abode in Chicago. This was to be our last evening in 
Lucerne, so we took a walk on the bridge, where we could 
see the quaint town lying in the moonlight. 

When we were nearing the fortifications, Clio asked a 
young girl standing in a doorway " if they were the ram- 
parts." She shook her head in mute appeal to the plain 
English question. Erato tried to gain an answer by speak- 
ing French, but also failed in obtaining anything but a nega- 
tive shake of the head, so Pomona questioned the girl in her 
very best G-erman, with the same success, while Artemis 
laughed at the trio's discomfiture. We consoled ourselves, 
however, with the thought that she was deaf. 

Seeing the door of a Catholic church open we sauntered 
in, but there was no light but the glimmer over the high 
altar, and it threw such weird shadows around the spacious 
edifice that we shrank from its mystic depths and sought 
again the inspiration from the starry heights above. 

We left Lucerne by the railway that skirted the lake, 
August 5, 1879, after triumphantly scoring from our bill three 
items the hotel clerk had obligingly added. It is so seldom 
that one is conscious of a victory over an ofiicial in a hotel, 
that our egotism in this matter must be pardoned. We were 
occupied during our ride in noticing the exquisite reflection 
that the lake gave of the trees, hills, villas, and chalets on its 
banks. I have seen but one other that approaches it strik- 
ingly, and that is given by the Delaware River in the neigh- 
borhood of the Gap. 

Arriving at Olten, of which all we read was, that it was a 
" small but flourishing town on the Aar," we change cars for 



S Wl TZERLA ND. 161 

Basel, or Bale, as tlie guards announced in stentorian tones. 
As we were obliged to wait here an hour, I concluded that 
taking a walk would be a pleasant relief from our long con- 
finement in those close cars. As the sun was extremely hot, 
I could find no company, and so, alone, I walked across a 
wide square lined by beautiful houses, into whose gardens I 
gave surreptitious peeps, until I came to a shady park, where 
the greensward and the leafy trees told of a coolness that was 
tempting. This is one of the largest towns in Switzerland, 
and one of the ancient seats of learning, containing the uni- 
versity in which Erasmus, Bernouilli, and Euler were profes- 
sors. The tombs of the first two are in the Cathedral, which 
dates back 1019. 

Until 1795, Bale's time-pieces were always ahead of every 
clock in Europe. The reason of this was that at a time when 
the city was besieged, a treasonable compact was formed by 
malcontents within the town and the enemy without, that the 
latter could enter the town at night when the clock struck 
twelve. The warder of the tower accidentally overheard this 
scheme, and moved the hands of the clock, so that instead of 
striking the midnight knell a single stroke echoed through 
the city. The traitors were demoralized by this scheme ; 
those within, not knowing why the signal was not heard by 
them, and those without, deeming the insurgents had been 
discovered and their plans frustrated. In commemoration of 
their preservation the people of Bale remained an hour ahead 
by their clock. 

But I must leave my pleasant retreat, as the hands of the 
correct clock are pointing to the car-time ; again, then, over 
the dusty street in the full glare of the noon-light I must 
make my way to the station. The scenery had now changed ; 
we had left the lake and the mountains and woods, and were 
now in the flat region of fields and meadows, — more profit- 
able but not as artistic, — smiling with abundance of corn, 

14* 



162 WE FOUR. 

buckwheat, wlieat, and oats, also tobacco ; thus we saw 
growing in one section in a radius of about fifty miles, what 
in our country would be indigenous to the soil of certain 
localities. 

We arrived at Strasbourg in the evening, and put up at the 
Hotel de Rouge, but after a good dinner and, what we needed 
more after such extreme heat, a bath ; we sauntered out to 
look at the town. It was more interesting to us than before, 
since we had read of its siege, but we carried sore hearts 
within us that it was no longer a French town, but the prop- 
erty of the stronger Prussians. It was sad to pass the Palace 
of the Orleans, now desolate and robbed of grandeur ; the 
Hotel de Ville, in which one could only hear Grerman spoken ; 
to meet the grenadiers of the garrison in Prussian uniform ; 
at every step to meet the conquered and the conqueror. Pass- 
ing a handsome granite building from which strains of music 
were issuing, we inquired of a pleasant-faced woman what 
the edifice was. Her answer that it was the Theatre, but that 
there was no performance that evening, but that a choral 
society used one room in it for rehearsals, explained the music 
we heard. It also led us into more conversation, as we were 
nearing the bastioned ramparts, with the citadel of Vauban 
frowning upon us ; we remembered that we had learned that 
by means of sluices from the citadel the adjacent country can 
be laid under water, and we could recall the terrible siege, as 
we seated ourselves upon the cannon and traced the ravages, 
in embankments and fortifications, which were still in process 
of repair. Something of what I have written we said to our 
Strasbourg companion, but she looked upon us in surprise at 
our ignorance. The city was still the capital of Alsace, a 
dependence of France. 

" But this garrison," we remarked, " are the Prussian 
soldiers." 

" Oh, no! they were all Frenchmen," she replied, laughing. 



SWITZERLAND. 163 

" That might be," I continued, hastily, " but in the pay of 
King William." 

" Oh, no, no !" she said, still with that shake of the head, 
so decidedly negative and so aggravating when one is sure, 
one is right. " This is all French, soldiers and all." 

We repeated this conversation to our landlord, after he had 
been recounting to us their prosperity under Wilhelm and 
their trials under Napoleon, and how glad the inhabitants 
were at this change of dynasty, and he laughed heartily as he 
said, " Why did you not astonish her more by telling her that 
Napoleon was dead? I do not think she knows it." We re- 
gretted not giving her that valuable information, as we re- 
membered the stories told us of our Pennsylvania Dutch 
brethren still voting for " Andy Jackson." 

The next morning we took a ramble around the business 
portion of the city preparatory to the object of our visit, — the 
Cathedral at Strasbourg, or what was more interesting to us, its 
clock. The building was founded in 504 ; the choir portion 
was built under the direction of Charlemagne, but the main 
part was commenced in the tenth century, and its history is a 
chequered one, — a history of wars, conflagrations, earthquakes, 
and restorations. The latter is still in progress, but who can 
tell what phase of experience will the next century bring to it ? 
In St. John's Chapel is the tomb of Bishop Conrad, of Lich- 
tenberg, who commenced the rebuilding of the ruined parts of 
this Church of Notre Dame in 1275. This ^'■glorious worh^'' 
to use his own words, was like the '•'•flowers in May opening 
to the sun;'''' and he watched its growth until 1299, when he 
was killed in a battle at Fribourg. Although five hundred and 
seventy-nine years have passed, the colors of the bishop's robes 
are still bright on the recumbent stone figure that surmounts 
the tomb. 

The funeral cortege of a prominent man of Strasbourg 
was in the Cathedral ; so listening to the sublime mass, given 



164 WE FOUR. 

on one of Silberman's finest organs, interested us till the 
famous clock should strike twelve. The largest of the side 
chapels was devoted to this service, and was hung with black 
in long, heavy folds. Twenty-four gentlemen held wreaths 
of pure white flowers, and when the pall-bearers had raised 
the coffin from before the altar, they placed it beneath the 
dome, and each gentleman laid his floral tribute' on the 
casket which contained their once loving friend. Then the 
sad procession went slowly out of those massive doors to go 
to the quiet " Grod's acre," and we saw them no more. 

We turned now our attention to the clock ; on one side of 
it, in a small balcony, something like the private box of a 
theatre, is a wooden figure of a man dressed in the style of 
the Middle Ages, looking down upon the wonderful piece of 
mechanism. We were told it was intended to represent the de- 
signer keeping watch and ward over this his most curious work. 

In 1352 the first astronomical clock was made ; it was not 
known when it ceased going, but in 1547 three distinguished 
mathematicians furnished a plan for another clock. They 
did not succeed in carrying it out, so in 1570 others took up 
the work, which was finished in 1574. 

For two hundred and fifteen years it noted the hours as 
they passed, and after a half a century of silence the present 
clock, a model of science and talent, was constructed by Mr. 
Schurlgue. In the upper part of the clock stands a figure 
of Christ, and at the hour of noon the twelve apostles pass 
before Him, bowing, and He lifts up his hand as if in bless- 
ing, while a cock with a natural voice and motion flaps its 
wings and crows three times at the presence of Peter. The 
four quarters of the hour are struck by Childhood, Youth, 
Manhood, and Old Age, while Death strikes the hours. Love 
and Time are seated above the perpetual calendar ; the latter 
turns an hour-glass over, when the clock is striking. The 
progress of a chariot gives one the name of the day of the 



S WITZERLAND. 1 65 

week ; the montli and seasons are also recorded, the phases 
of the moon, the eclipses ; the true and sidereal time ; it is 
also connected with a dial outside the church, thus giving the 
correct hour to the townsfolk. 

The crypt is also an interesting spot to visit ; at its entrance 
is the Jioly tomb, representing our Saviour on the Mount of 
Olives with his disciples at the time of his seizure by the 
soldiers. This Cathedral has been adorned by some very fine 
statuary, but the work of demolition only gives a legendary 
knowledge of its inner decorations. 

The designer of this church, Erwin of Steinbach, some 
say of Mayence, stands prominent among architects of the 
Middle Ages ; and all of his children were worthy scions of 
the artist tree. Several fine statues in the Cathedral are the 
work of his daughter Sabina, and his two sons were archi- 
tects like himself. 

A beautiful view can be obtained from the turrets of the 
Cathedral, but as the sun was glowing with its noonday heat, 
we concluded to give up making the ascent. 

We had been advised not to miss the Church of St. Thomas, 
in which is a handsome monument to the memory of the 
Marechal Saxe. His body, and also that of Prince Max 
of Wiirtemberg have been embalmed and are in a good state 
of preservation, that is, if one considers mummies specimens 
of preservation. Erato was the only one of our party that 
appeared to admire mummies. But I thought, if the brave 
marshal, over whom the Genius of France is sculptured as 
standing, had been living now, he would have thought that 
the Spirit had forsaken her beloved country, although Stras- 
bourg has always been in personality a Grerman town. 

Hearing music issuing from a smaller and more unpre- 
tending chapel, we entered it, and found ourselves in the 
midst of another funeral of a less potent personage than the 
one who was borne from the Cathedral. The organ sym- 



166 WE FOUR. 

phonies were not as well rendered as in the latter edifice, but 
the voices of the choristers were equally as good. 

We have done Strasbourg now, with the exception of the 
famous pate de foie^ which dish we neglected to call for ; so 
after a less gross luncheon we took the cars for Baden-Baden. 

The sun, which had been scorching us so unmercifully, 
now retired in umbrage, and as we changed cars, both at 
Appenweir and Oos, — for Baden is only reached by a branch 
railway from the main route, — we were obliged to make a rush 
for each station in a drenching shower. 

These heavy rains proved a serious drawback to us at 
Baden, as we lost the stroll through the public gardens, and 
the music by the fine band that discourses there during the 
season. Baden was at its height now, for the Hotel Hol- 
land, at which we were staying, was well filled, as also was 
the Hotel Victoria, opposite. But its glory has' departed 
with the overthrow of the gambling-houses. It is now only 
a transient resort for gay tourists, and the only stationary 
guests are the invalids. New baths had just been erected 
for rheumatic patients, so arranged that only the member, 
suff'ering should be made subject to their action, as the Grer- 
man doctor said who was trying to interest us in these baths, 
" If your nose has the rheumatism, you put it alone in the 
bath, or your toe, even." 

This gentleman appeared very irate because we were not 
going to remain in Baden for a week or more. We told him 
" we were not invalids, we were only travelling for pleasure, 
and wanted to see as much as possible in a given time." 
"Yes," he replied, "you Americans rush through everything; 
you do all by steam, you even travel by steam." 

He meant figuratively, but I pretended to understand him 
literally, and replied, innocently, " Why, sir, you would not 
have us using stage-coaches and ships in this enlightened 
age?" 



OERMANY. 167 

He answered " no" dubiously, and I am afraid I rather 
puzzled tlie good doctor. 

There are very many beautiful walks and drives around 
Baden. Of the former, tlie garden with its fountains around 
the Conversationshaus and Trinkhalle ; the ascent to the ruins 
of the old castle, with a brighter view of the new ; the ceme- 
tery around the ancient abbey filled with moss-covered graves, 
and the later " city of the dead" in which the royal family 
is interred ; the monument to the Princess Elizabeth bein^; 
considered the finest there. A ride to the gloomy depths of 
the Black Forest is next in order to tourists, and one seems 
to live over again the mystic legends of that haunted region 
that fascinated our childish minds. But it still keeps tor- 
menting us with showers, so we concluded not to linger longer 
in this Saratoga of Europe, but make Heidelberg our next 
stopping-place, so we took the branch railway again back to 
Oos, and arrived in the gloaming at the " university city." 

Heidelberg is an ugly little town set in the midst of the 
most romantic and picturesque surroundings. The streets 
are narrow and crooked, and present the dark, gloomy ap- 
pearance, which is painful to us who bask in the pure air 
and glowing sunlights which in foreign lands seem to be 
kept away as inspirations of freedom. 

There was one thing of which I must speak, and that was 
the multitudinous clocks that struck the half hours and quar- 
ters, or if they were only simultaneous in their striking it 
might be unnoticed, but, unfortunately, there was no spirit of 
harmony manifested, and I rose from my sleepless pillow and 
gazed at Heidelberg by moonlight. Were I an artist by pro- 
fession, I would paint for you a picture that would dwell in 
your memory as its reality does in mine, Luna in her full- 
orbed beauty sending her silver-robed messengers to inhabit 
the old castle. Yes, there were knights in glittering armor 
walking on the ramparts, lovely forms flitted by the moss- 



168 WE FOUR. 

hidden casements, spears shimmered in the moonlight from 
the towers, and diamonds glistened in the ball-room. I saw 
it all as I leaned upon the window-sill, the midnight revelry 
of phantoms in old Heidelberg. But I will describe it to you 
as I saw it again in the morning's radiance. Ordering a car- 
riage, we drove first to Wolf's Brunnen or Wolf's Spring, amid 
the shade of Jettenliihl. The legend says that Jetta the 
prophetess, who lived in the wood, met her lover every night 
by the spring. One eve he came only to find her mangled 
remains guarded by an immense wolf, whose jaws were still 
wet with the maiden's blood. The youth drew his sword, and 
after a short combat his sweetheart's death was avenged, but 
this gory scene gives the name to the clear waters of the 
spring. It is now used for the breeding of fish, and the cool 
pavilion where one can supply the thirsty needs, is too great 
a resort and lacks the quiet repose that tempts both wolves 
and lambs. 

Our next drive was to Molkencur and the Konigsstuhl, 
from whose verdant peaks we traced the windings of the 
Neckar, the misty outlines of the Hartz Mountains, with the 
dense shades of the Black Forest, and looked down upon the 
ancient houses of Heidelberg. But higher yet we ascend to 
reach " The Alhambra of Grermany." 

" Why did potentates build their palaces so high among 
the cliffs of the eternal rocks ?" I asked. 

" For fear of their own vassals, and also the dread of neigh- 
boring princes," was the reply; "the gulf that lies between 
poverty and wealth, degradation and pomp, must not be 
bridged over, lest the monarchal system should crumble." 

Aye, this pride of oligarchy is crumbling now, when the 
nobility admit you into the halls of their ancestors at a quar- 
ter of a dollar apiece, just like a travelling showman would 
do, only their object is to pay the enormous tax that the 
crown lays upon their vast domains. 



GERMAN F. 169 

I think I hear one castle saying to another, " To what base 
uses have we come !" 

Our carriage takes a beautiful route beneath ruined arch- 
ways that were erected at different times for royal forms to 
pass under. The last one was in honor of Elizabeth, daugh- 
ter of James I., of England, who married for love, Frederick 
of Bohemia. This triumphal arch represented the trunks 
of old trees overhung by flowering vines. The Elector Fred- 
erick built another wing to the castle, as every new heir ap- 
peared to do ; but his was in the English style. We looked 
through the dilapidated windows into the banqueting hall, 
which had been burned by the French, and gazed on ■ a 
walled forest, for trees had grown there, tall, to meet the sun. 
Never did Frederick and his bride enjoy the place that his 
love had made so beautiful. He had to don again his 
armor, casque, and shield, and lead his men to death, and 
the widowed bride returned to her fatherland ; the cup of 
bliss had been taken away, untasted, from her lips. This 
English wing was covered with ivy that had embraced its 
walls for two hundred years. It had been carefully tended 
and nailed up, that no stray verdant branch should tempt 
the tourist. There was no stray branch, but we were 
tempted ; but the watchful eye of the guide and the fear 
of the five dollars' fine prevented us from kleptomania. 
We visited the throne-room, and placed our feet on the 
steps of stone that had once led to the royal seat. Then 
the audience-chamber and the arsenal, the dining-room and 
kitchen, in whose huge fireplace an ox was often roasted 
whole. We traversed the underground passages which led 
to the Neckar, used when it behooved the inhabitants of the 
castle to seek safety in instant flight. We passed through 
the powder-magazine and cellars until we reached the one in 
which is kept the massive tun of Heidelberg. It was or- 
dered to be built by Charles Philip for the accommodation 
H 15 



170 WE FOUR. 

of his conrt-jester, Clemens Perkeo, a Tyrolese, who drank 
from fifteen to eighteen bottles of wine per day, and as the 
tun holds two hundred and eighty-eight thousand bottles, the 
king thought it would suffice the fool. The latter was a 
dwarf, and a wooden statue, representing him with his cup 
in his hand, stands near the tun, ever keeping watch and 
ward over the precious object. By his side is a rude clock, 
with dial-plate without hands, and a rope hangs from it like 
a pendulum. 

" This was Perkeo's clock, and it always strikes at the 
right time if you pull the string," said our guide, who spoke 
French, English, and German with rapidity. One of our 
party desiring to know the right time pulled the string ; the 
door of the clock sprang open and a fox's tail struck her in 
the face. 

" This was one of Perkeo's little jokes," said our guide, 
amid the laughter that greeted the striking of the clock. I 
had read that on the top of the tun, two cotillons could be 
danced, so going up the stairway, we measured its dimensions 
in our minds by the accommodations requisite for a quadrille, 
and concluded that the historian was correct ; but as we had 
not the music necessary for the plain cotillon, Clio and Erato 
tried a waltz upon the head of this wine-tun. 

Coming out from these subterranean depths we reached the 
court-yard again, after passing through the desolated garden, 
and lingered by the draw-well. It was fifty-four feet deep ; 
but its interest is the history of the four columns which sup- 
port it, they being twelve hundred years old, remnants of the 
one hundred columns that Charlemagne had brought from 
Rome, but which Louis V. had removed from Charlemagne's 
palace at Ingelheim four hundred years ago. There were 
two fountains also in the court-yard, from one of which we 
drank, but the sculptured work was in such a state of dilapi- 
dation that we could only imagine their former beauty. I 



GERMANY. 171 

forgot to mention the lovely view of the surrounding country 
we had from the grass-grown parapets of the towers, from 
which we said " Grood-by" to this reminiscence of centuries. 
Taking our carriage again, we were supplicated by a little 
boy, some four years of age, to buy an exquisite white rose 
he had. Our horses were then in the act of going down- 
hill, so Clio threw the child the money he had asked for, but 
could not reach from his little fingers the flower. Poor, little 
fellow, he ran, breathlessly, after us, to give up the purchase, 
in spite of our repeated shakes of the head ; but his chubby 
limbs were too short to keep up with two horses, so he was 
obliged to retain the money and the rose. 

It was now twelve o'clock noon, so we took a promenade 
on the Boulevards, as the students of the University were 
doing the same. 

The common school morning session was over, and the 
young bloods of the higher educational ranks amused them- 
selves by throwing pennies among a crowd of their smaller 
brethren, and laughed when a real fight occurred in order to 
obtain possession of the coins. The police stood guard, but 
did not interfere so long as matters were not too uproarious. 

There were eight hundred students at that time in Hei- 
delberg, and their dress and general appearance were cards 
for their tailors and barbers. They wore white, green, red, 
and yellow caps, according to their grades in class ; and their 
ranks in life were denoted by the gold embroidery or simplicity 
of those caps. But we regretted that heauty of face had not 
been made a study at the University ; for we saw none who 
were not disfigured by cruel scars, — trophies of duels fought 
on the sward before a small inn just outside of the town. 
If a class quarrel leads to a fight, the combatants cover every 
part of the body from danger of a thrust, but if a personal 
insult must be wiped out with blood, the face is left exposed 
to attacks. So bandaged heads and plastered visages were 



172 WE FOUR. 

signs of late encounters, while deep scars showed earlier 
duels. One young man had only an ugly lump to tell where 
once his nose had been ; another had a trench from his ear to 
his mouth, giving a sardonic grin to the lower part of his 
face ; a part of one's chin had disappeared ; another had 
saved a portion of his ear to be grown on again, and defiles 
in foreheads and chasms in cheeks were too fashionable to be 
recorded. And this tattooing occurs in a civilized country, 
under the fostering care of Education^ beneath the shadow 
of Religion ! The University itself is a very plain building, 
but quite large, but adds nothing in the way of architecture 
to redeem this town from total ugliness. It was founded in 
1386, and still attracts students from all quarters of the globe. 
The Church of the Holy Glhost was a fine specimen of build- 
ing, and is subdivided so as to accommodate both Koman 
Catholic and Protestant forms of service. 

Once more we take the railway, with its coops or stalls, I 
do not know what better name for travelling carriages, en 
route for Mentz, or Mayence. 

We reached there in the evening, and remained under 
peculiarly disagreeable surroundings for one night, as we in- 
tended taking the steamer for Cologne the next morning. We 
went to the Hotel de Hollande as being near the wharf, and 
we had very handsome rooms, but entirely too high up for con- 
venience ; still from our window we overlooked the barracks, 
the bridge of boats, which connects Mayence with Castel, the 
mouth of the Main and the Rhine. The hotel was not quite 
finished ; improvements were going on in the neighborhood ; 
and something had occurred in the menage of the establish- 
ment, the cause of which we never discovered. When we 
arrived the place was in dire confusion, in consequence of the 
arrival of both steamboat and train and an influx of travellers. 
Instead of the ordinary simple arrangement of accommodation, 
here were about twenty-five or thirty or perhaps more, as I 



GERMANY. 173 

did not count them, clamoring for apartments, wliicli clamor 
the proprietor and head-porter seemed unable to satisfy. By 
patient waiting, order at length appeared from this chaos, and 
in our shy chambers we dressed for dinner. From my position 
at table, I commanded a view of the closet containing the 
dumb-waiter. I was much amused durins; the interval of the 
courses watching the pantomime going on there ; while my 
fellow-diners, who did not see the pantomime, were growling 
at time elapsing between each serving, for they did not know 
that the head-waiter was employed in giving instructions to 
his underlings as to the proper method of waiting on table. 
As this was evidently a new corps of assistants, this enforced 
teaching was difficult to the learners, exasperating to the 
diners, and quite edifying and interesting to me. Our head- 
waiter was not aware that he had a surreptitious scholar, 
and I felt myself duly qualified to advertise for a position 
as waitress. I proved myself, however, as a disarranger of 
systems, as I insisted on one of the new scholars supplying me 
with a clean knife and fork after eatins; fish. This was not laid 
down in his rules ; he, probably, not being aware that there is 
no rule without an exception, protested against my exception. 
Two Irish gentlemen kindly informed me " that it was not 
the system in Grermany to give clean knives at tahle-d'hote.''^ 
I told them I would not accede to a fishy knife, so the new 
scholar goes back to his teacher with a report. As I expected, 
he brought me a clean knife and fork, but with a manner 
which told me it was under protest. Towards the close of 
the meal a woman came down the stairs crying vehemently ; 
the waiters stood aghast ; the proprietor went to her to soothe 
her, and finally ascended the stairs with her, he talking quietly, 
she still crying and explaining, every now and then showing 
her arm ; but what ghastly wound or bruise was there I 
could not see. Anyhow, I am satisfied there was no blood 
flowing. Mystery No. 3 I thought ; my interest deepens. 

15-- 



174 WE FOUR. 

We took a walk around this old town after our memorable 
dinner, but a heavy shower soon drove us back to the hotel. 
We saw its walls, flanked with bastions, its citadel and out- 
works and forts; and the soldiers filing in and out of the gar- 
rison was a new sight to us, coming from a country which 
has no standing army. Where the Public Reading-Room 
now stands was formerly the site of the house of John Gans- 
fleisch, or Gutenberg, the inventor of movable types. The 
house in which he was born and his first printing-office are 
still shown. Near the theatre, in an open space, stands a 
bronze statue of Gutenberg, by Thorwaldsen, erected by sub- 
scription. I could not help recalling Strasbourg, proud of its 
child Peter Schoeffer, who contends with Gutenberg for the 
honor of the invention of printing. Recalling Strasbourg 
makes me think of the storks, which seemed to be that city's 
emblems. We are now on the point of leaving the region 
of storks, who, I understand, are the scavengers of this 
malarial district, — such a benefit that their very presence on 
the chimney-tops is an especial boon. 

The next morning, August 9, we rose early, as our boat 
was expected soon, and we wanted breakfast. We descended 
to find the place in that doleful condition that the one who 
rises first has always the pleasure of enjoying. 

We saw a gentleman lingering in the hall, so we inter- 
viewed him. 

" None of the household up ?" we inquired. 

" Yes," he said, with a dreary attempt at a smile. " I 
came across the boot-black, I believe it was, and that is all." 

We gazed around ; here comes the boot-black (Jie was a 
waiter last evening). 

" Can we have breakfast?" 

" There is nobody up but me," he answered. 

" Well, call somebody — the proprietor, cook, or somebody 
— to get up and give us our breakfasts ; we want to be ofif." 



GERMANY. 175 

" Yes, ma'am ; but the head-waiter don't get up till nine 
o'clock, and " 

" Well, we don't want to eat the head-waiter ; but we 
want coffee and rolls, ham and eggs, or something, for we are 
hungry, in just fifteen minutes ; now mind, not one second 
more." 

Woman's imperiousness accomplished what the man's 
money had not, for our breakfast was on table in ample time 
for us to eat it and enjoy a little walk on the quay before the 
boat came in. 

When I stepped into the proprietor's office to pay the bill, 
he sermonized on the advantages of a thorough systematic 
arrangement, explained the difficulties of conducting such a 
large establishment were it not for his efficient system. I 
agreed with the theory perfectly, and I expressed myself 
to that effect ; but I said nothing about practice. In this 
little office I must hand my money to a clerk. '■'' System^ 
madam^ system^^^ said the proprietor, blandly ; but all the 
soiled dishes were carried through here to the sink beyond, 
and a poor boy, not having space enough to pass us with a 
waiter of goblets, let one fall, which, according to Sir Isaac 
Newton's system, broke. In the excitement this event oc- 
curred, the terror of the boy, and the indignation of the pro- 
prietor, I ejaculated, " System, sir, system," and vanished 
from the scene. We returned to our elevated room to gather 
up our luggage for our journey to the Rhine, and, as we looked 
around, we thought soon we would bid adieu to the tall, porce- 
lain stoves, to the down-beds that made our coverlets for the 
night, to all these strange experiences of German life, to find 
new phases in other scenes, and yet memory will recall with 
a pleasant halo those curious customs. 



PART FIFTH. 

THE RHINE. 

" The castled crag of Drachenfels 
Frowns o'er the wide and winding Rhine, 
Whose breast of waters broadly swells 
Between the banks which bear the vine, 
And hills all rich with blossom'd trees, 
And fields which promise corn and wine. 
And scattered cities crowning these, 
Whose far white walls along them shine. 

Have strewed a scene." 

Byron: Childe Harold. 

A BEAUTIFUL day, a fine steamer, pleasant company, and 
the picturesque view marks a brigtit epocb in my calendar 
for August 9, 1878. I was supplied with a book of " Le- 
gends of the Rhine," one of my friends with a guide-book, 
another with one of views, and a gentleman passenger seated 
near us having a good opera-glass, which he placed at our dis- 
posal, we were well paraphernaliaed for the proper enjoyment 
of the river of traditions. The gentleman with the field- 
glass, I noticed, spoke good English for a foreigner, and as I 
heard him speaking Grerman, I asked him for the proper pro- 
nunciation of the polysyllabic names that belonged to the 
romantic castles which bordered the river's banks. He 
laughingly responded that he could not speak Grerman any 
better than English. I wondered what was his nationality, 
but was not Yankee enough to question further, and his con- 
versation to a friend with him was not carried on either ex- 
tensively or in a loud tone of voice, that I could observe any 
peculiar dialect. Our topics of conversation being governed 
176 



THE RHINE. 177 

by tlie surroundings, I made a remark about a tunnel, with, 
the observation that we bad passed through one on our way 
to Mayence, which had occupied fifteen minutes of steam 
travel to traverse. 

" I have never passed through such long tunnels anywhere 
as I have done in your country, miss. I am surprised at 
your noticing that one." 

" Probably I have missed those of my own land ; but" — 
and a sudden thought struck me — " what is my country ?" 

" England," he answered, in the most uncontradictable of 
tones. 

" You err, sir, in your supposition. I am, or, in fact, we 
are, Americans." 

" Indeed ! I did not think so. I am an American also." 

''From what part?" I queried, a little of the Yankee 
example overcoming my natural instincts. 

" From Buenos Ayres," was the answer. 

" Ah ! You are, then, a South American." 

" While you, ladies, are North Americans ; my friend here 
is also a North American." 

" He cannot speak a word of English," I said, looking at 
the short, lithe, swarthy gentleman of some forty years of 
age, who was seated near us, unconscious of being the subject 
of Temark. 

" True, but he is a North American. He is from Mexico." 

" Then you both speak Spanish?" 

" Yes, miss, that is my native tongue, but I finished my 
education in G-ermany. I was here four years, but have been 
home now six years. I was sent to the Paris Exposition by 
my government, in company with twenty-five others, to take 
notes for the proper conducting of a national exhibition to be 
given in our country in 1880, to commemorate, centennially, 
our settlement." 

But this interchange of confidences did not interfere with 



178 WE FOUR. 

the enjoyment of our excursion, as you must remember we 
were the whole day upon the Rhine, and took satisfactory 
notes of the scenery. The culture of the vine being the 
principal industry, we could easily perceive the " vine-clad 
hills" of which the poets have raved; but we were hardly 
prepared for the difficulties, with which the vine-growers 
seemed to have contended, in training the delicate fruit 
among stony cliifs and on precipitous terraces ; but the re- 
sults, while profitable to him, were exceedingly beautiful 
to us. 

The quotation with which I have headed my chapter 
carries one back to the time of the Pagans, when a cruel 
dragon occupied that gloomy peak, but beneath the power 
of the cross, in the hands of a' pious maiden, was exorcised, 
and the billows of the Rhine covered him forever. The 
Christian girl married the prince of the district, and on that 
site they built the castle and " lived happily ever after- 
wards." 

Seven rocks rising above the waters are a terror to navi- 
gators and a warning to ladies who like to flirt, as seven 
sisters met their fate in this manner on account of their stony 
hearts. 

But the beauty of the Rhine is the rock above Saint Goar- 
hausen, where the Lorelei dwells. The channel narrows 
here, and the waters of the Middle and Upper Rhine force 
their way through the rocky pass with a surging noise. The 
precipitous clifls are surmounted by lofty oak-trees, that one 
can well imagine the fauns and dryads making their haunts 
there, while the naiads sported in the waters. On the rock 
Ley, of which I spoke, tradition tells of a beautiful siren 
appearing, whose voice, like an JEolian harp, enchanted all 
listeners. At this wild spot the steamboat slackens speed, 
that the passengers may enjoy the surprising echo, the only 
recollections that remain of the Lorelei. The reverberations 



THE RHINE. 179 

were not as remarkable, thougli, as those of the Alps. Saint 
Goar is one of the stopping-places of the steamboat, and one 
could hardly imagine, in looking at the thriving Grerman ham- 
let, that it received its name from the pions pilgrim who built 
himself a little hut there in the middle of the sixteenth 
century. 

We stopped at " Eingen, /air Bingen on the Khine," and 
as there is no accounting for tastes, we must conclude that 
the poetess only imagined the soldier's home feeling, for I 
looked in vain for its fair or sweet aspect. But the sur- 
rounding country forms a handsomer frame than the picture 
within ; for below it, on a small island which commands the 
navigation of Bingen-Loch, is the strong tower, now a ruin, 
built by Bishop Hatto as a toll-gate, which is styled in legen- 
dary lore as the Mouse Tower, too well known to cultivated 
readers for repetition, here. On the opposite bank, terraced 
like a Boman fortification, stands the ruin of Ehrenfels and 
Bheinstein, a veafy picturesque castle. 

We passed Ingelheim, where once stood the famous palace 
of Charlemagne, of which mention was made in my account 
of the well at Heidelberg. 

The Lorch is a beautiful river which empties into the 
Bhine, and flowing through a wooded valley, becomes the 
scene of traditions of gnomes. The Devil's Ladder is the 
name given to a curious rock upon whose steep ascent an en- 
chanted castle once stood, but disappeared under a different 
influence, and the gnomes have disappeared with it. On an 
island in the vicinity can be seen the ruins of the Benedictine 
Abbey Lorch, and on the borders of the Bhine Valley the 
towers of the former Castle Ftirsteneck. So entrancing was 
this woodland hilly scene that it was with regret we left it, 
but were equally charmed with the wild, romantic country of 
Bacharach. It derives its name from an altar erected by the 
Romans to Bacchus ; it is said you can see the stone when the 



180 WE FOUR. 

water is low, as it is supposed to have been erected on a now 
submerged islet, but the inscription is illegible. Above the 
town, lies the picturesque ruin of a twelfth-century castle, 
Stahleck. 

In a district less weird, rise the two castles Sternberg and 
Liebenstein, otherwise The Brothers, whose history is a 
series of crimes, quarrels, reconciliations, and remorse. Lah- 
neck revives to us the Knights Templar of the fourteenth 
century, and of the besieging of twelve of the order in this 
rocky stronghold. 

We noticed that some old castles had become modernized, 
and on many a wooded cliff, buildings of the present epoch 
have been erected to become the future ruins, when those, we 
now have gazed upon, have crumbled away to form a part of 
the very rocks themselves. The romance of the Rhine fades 
as we near Bonn ; it is true, legends hover over that com- 
fortable-looking town, and also over Konigsdorf ; but factories 
take the place of castles, farms of the nymph-haunted woods, 
and the mystic waters are disturbed by other craft beside our 
luxurious steamboat. 

We are approaching Cologne, and with Byron say : 

" Adieu to thee, fair Rhine ! How long delighted 
The stranger fain would linger on his way ! 
Thine is a scene alike where souls united 
Or lonely contemplation thus might stray ; 

"Adieu to thee again ! a vain adieu ! 

There can be no farewell to scene like thine, 
The mind is colored by thy very hue." 

Cologne ! a filthy city and a city of odors, but, I am sorry 
to say, not of the perfume of the same name ; we were glad 
to see thee and doubly glad to leave thee ! The Hotel Hol- 
lande had just received a large party of Cook's tourists, so 
we were obliged to take rooms in the seventh story. We did 
not object, as, fixing our gaze heavenward and our noses too, 



COLOGNE. 181 

we were better enabled to forget the unpleasant town beneath 
us. We had a splendid view of the river, a bridge of boats 
connecting Cologne with Deutz, and we watched the golden 
and crimson rays of the sun filling the west with glory and 
tinging the waters with bright hues, at the same time that 
a silvery gleam shot across from the east where the dark 
shadows had been lying, and the new moon in her gentle 
beauty rose like another Lorelei from the blue depths of the 
Rhine. Then appeared the lights along the river-shore, 
sending their " gleams across the wave," and I retired to 
rest with the full determination to draw from Cologne all the 
beauty of which it was capable, and, therefore, I would be up 
in the morning to see the sun rise. I am glad I did so ; 
those two pictures relieve Cologne of its shadows of dirt. 

The walls of the city are perfect specimens of the fortifi- 
cations of the Middle Ages, and the Cathedral of St. Peter is 
one of the finest and purest monuments of architecture in 
Europe. It was commenced in 1248 by Archbishop Conrad, 
of Hochsteden, whose remains are interred there beneath a 
handsome monument ; he needed none finer than the church 
around him. 

Tradition gives the credit of the design to the Arch-Fiend, 
but finding himself circumvented by a pious hermit, he re- 
venged himself by preventing the completion of this sublime 
edifice. It is truly a model of difierent architectures of dif- 
ferent ages, and as the work upon it is still in progress, we 
must suppose that the influence of his Satanic Majesty is 
going on, also. Four hundred men were engaged daily while 
we were in Cologne in building a tower ; the scaffolding still 
being up, we could not well observe the style ; a correspond- 
ing tower on the other side is the design. The King of 
Bavaria purchased in 1824 a large lot of ground, covered with 
houses, adjoining the Cathedral, and presented it to the bene- 
fice, which is the site on which the process of building is 

16 



182 WE FOUR. 

carried on now. Another piece of ground, on which were 
market-sheds, is soon to be swallowed up by that insatiable 
monster, — the Cathedral. It was market morning when we 
wended our way thither, and we were amused at the peculiar 
dress and bustling manners of the hucksters contrasted with 
the patient look of the panniered donkeys that had carried the 
edibles to the town. One is so beset with guides offering 
their assistance, that in self-defence we were obliged to accept 
of one. He was a very intelligent young man, and made the 
simple statistics interesting by his manner of telling it. 

On entering the large door, I lingered to examine a very 
curious monument, if I can call it so. It was a roughly 
carved stone coffin, more like a bath-tub in size and shape, out 
of which was emerging a caricature of the figure of Christ ; 
grotesque specimens, six in number, surrounded it, one repre- 
sentation of a man at the head of the coffin, another at the 
foot, and two at each side. I think, however, that on one 
side the objects might have been women ; these figures were 
not ludicrous enough in design, so to add to the strange mon- 
ument, each head was surmounted with a common artificial 
wreath. Our guide would not expatiate on this nondescript 
affair, therefore I have my doubts in regard to his perfect faith 
in the church, for the record says that this quaint sculpture 
was excavated when the foundation of the edifice was dug, so 
its carving must have been prior to the twelfth century. 

The Cathedral has one hundred and four columns, which 
support its massive roof; the four in the centre having a cir- 
cumference of thirty feet. The building is in the form of a 
cross, and is five hundred and eighty-eight feet long, fifty-six 
feet outside of the reredos, thus leaving five hundred and 
thirty- two feet for the body of the church. The height of 
the transept is two hundred and thirty-eight feet, the other 
part one hundred and sixty-one feet. The upper part of the 
glass windows in the old portion are antique, the lower sec- 



COLOGNE. 183 

tion modern imitations, while the new portion contains the 
handsome windows of the present style. We could thus com- 
pare the lost art of painting on glass with the later mode. A 
wooden crucifix, holding a life-size figure of Christ, dates back 
one thousand years, and it has been hanging in its present 
high position seven hundred years. It represents Him with- 
out the crown of thorns, and is one of three thus carved in 
the whole world. The tombs of the archbishops were fine 
specimens of sculpture, and as in former times the head of 
the church at Cologne was Elector of Bavaria, and was obliged 
to command the army, some epitaphs gave the warlike deeds 
of those who truly belonged to the " church militant." 

This building not only shows the wear of the tread of pil- 
grims, but also devastations made by soldiers, horses having 
been stabled in the side chapels when Napoleon I. made his 
name a terror to Europe. 

Our guide having told us all that could be told about the 
Cathedral, and more than I can remember to repeat, took us 
to a store, where we could see the original model of the Cathe- 
dral if we purchased a bottle of the genuine cologne made by 
the first Johann Maria Farina. 

We did so, satisfied in our minds that we had an honorable 
guide, and that we were not being deceived in buying cologne 
from this venerable establishment. Nor were we ; for in 
Cologne there are one dozen at least, if not more, inherited 
stores of Johann Maria Farina, where the genuine cologne is 
sold, and where the original model is shown of the church, 
consequently you are not going wrong to buy from any one ; 
only the cologne purchased by our party was very poor ; we 
Americans can beat Cologne in the making of their genuine 
perfume. It is a wonder to me that Johann Maria Farina 
has not risen from his grave at the numerous impostures on 
his name. 

Our guide also had a commission in a store for the sale of 



184 WE FOUR. 

photographs and stereoscopic pictures, where the lady of the 
estabhshment prided herself on speaking well the American 
language as distinct from the English. The other objects of 
interest, but to which we had not the time to go, as we were 
anxious to reach Brussels before night, were the Church of St. 
Ursula and the Church of St. Grereons. The first contains 
the bones of eleven thousand virgins, the companions of St. 
Ursula, who also rests here ; her monument is in alabaster, and 
represents the saint herself with a white pigeon at her feet. 
She was the daughter of King Vionetus, of Britain, and was 
given in marriage to Coman, son of Agrippinus, a German 
prince ; but her husband and herself, together with her wed- 
ding retinue, were massacred by the Huns. 

In the Church of St. Grereons are placed the remains of 
martyrs who lost their lives during the terrible havoc among 
Christians originated by Diocletian. 

Cologne is also proud of being the birthplace of Bubens, 
who was born in 1577 in the house which, in 1642, saw Mary 
de Medicis breathe her last sigh. 

A long journey and a tedious one was now before us, going 
by rail from Cologne to Brussels, but the monotony was re- 
lieved by stopping at Yerviers, to run the gauntlet of the cus- 
tom-house officers and to buy a lunch. 

One poor trunk was being sadly dismantled, and as it was 
a tJiree-story one, the officer himself was nearly all inside of it, 
giving a very ludicrous effect, in his search for contraband 
goods. I never knew who was the owner of that trunk, but 
judge that the officers had suspicions that way, for we had 
no difficulty whatever, but walked quietly through the rooms, 
our hand-luggage being chalked by the officials without being 
opened. 

^'- La petite Paris'^ is justly the title of Brussels, with this 
difference only, its size being smaller than France's capital, it 
is more aristocratic. We put up at the Hotel de la Poste, 



BRUSSELS. 185 

which was built on the same style as the Hotel du Lac in 
Greneva, — that is, a court-yard in the centre of the building, 
with the rooms overlooking it. We started out early in the 
morning, desirous of attending service, being Sunday, in the 
English Church, but the one, to which we were directed, 
proved to be a French Protestant, so we lingered in the Bo- 
tanical Gardens admiring the different specimens and beauty 
of landscape gardening, and thus whiled away an hour very 
pleasantly, and again started for our English service. We 
walked up the Boulevards, — consisting of eight trees across, 
in long rows, as far as the eye could reach, and as far as our 
strength would 7'each we soon discovered, for, after resting 
now and then on benches beneath the trees, we arrived at the 
church exactly as the congregation were coming out. We 
spent the noontide hour in the park adjoining the Palace 
gardens, and as we had seen on our way many handsome 
residences, we concluded to take a shorter route back to our 
hotel, which led us through the older and more business 
portion of the city, past the homes of the medium classes. 

We were too tired to do any more sight-seeing, so we pro- 
ceeded to the general occupation of weary people — that of 
writing letters — until dinner, which latter undertaking occu- 
pied us two hours. Then another walk through the bril- 
liantly-lighted city and we retired to rest. The next morning 
was devoted to the Lace Factory ; the company employ three 
thousand women, but they are scattered through the neigh- 
boring districts ; they only have a dozen at work in the 
establishment, in order that visitors may see the process. 
They were middle-aged women, and mostly wore glasses. I 
will not pretend to say that their work had anything to do 
with this weakness of sight, for myopia appeared to us the 
prevailing disease in Germany as the goitre was in Switzer- 
land. The reason given by a German for the infirmity was 
the prolonged study. I responded " that the national intel- 

16* 



186 WE FOUR. 

lect must be very dull if it required so much time to obtain 
knowledge that the eyesight was lost in the attempt." 

We were asked by a minister if we did not think it wrong 
to purchase lace. I say no ; there must be labor for these 
women ; if it is not in this form another might prove equally 
deleterious. Work in coal-mines, match-factories, and foun- 
dries is found to be a shortening of human life, and yet who 
would abolish, if they could, these means of livelihood for 
millions? and so lace-making, with its evils, has its cor- 
responding good. While we were there these women were 
making Duchess, Point Applique, and Black Chantilly Lace. 
Wrong or not in principle, we purchased our specimens, 
brought them home, honorably, and wear them without com- 
punction. From thence we went to the Musee Royale, where 
galleries were devoted to Rubens's works ; but his style is not 
a favorite of mine, even if I offend the Grenius of Art by 
thus daring to impugn an " old master ^ The finest works 
had been removed to the Paris Exposition, but they had still 
left to us something beautiful to remember. I have stamped 
upon my mind's eye the " Wandering Judas." It was night, 
and darkness had gathered o'er Judea. The cross that on 
the morrow was to bear our Saviour was not yet finished, and 
the two men, who only knew of the thieves that would ex- 
piate their crimes, had fallen asleep by their incomplete work. 
The light from their evening fire of sticks, shone upon their 
tired faces, and threw a fitful glare upon the dread instrument 
at their side, and nearly stumbling over them and it, came 
the fleeing Iscariot with the bag of thirty pieces in his hand. 
How the artist could portray the varied emotions that flit 
in one second across that traitor's soul so graphically on his 
face, I do not know. They were there, and the life-like scene 
on that dreaded night is vividly present with me. " The 
Trophies of War" represented five Greorgian women just sold. 
The brutal, lustful face of the purchaser, the sordid, business- 



BHUSSELS. 187 

craft physiognomy of the seller, the sorrowful gaze of the 
women, excepting one, whose sadness was relieved by a de- 
fiant air, which told of future struggles, these were portrayed 
by a master-hand. Cattle-pieces — which, I believe is a Bel- 
gian specialty — we found excellent, but a Madonna and child 
surrounded by Dutch burgomasters for the Magi, was not a 
pleasing production, too much like the Cimabue style of the 
Tuscan school. 

A fine artist was engaged in copying the life-size figures of 
the royal family, and we saw cards up on the walls that on 
the following Monday there would be an exhibition of her 
Majesty's dress and the presents that were to commemorate the 
silver wedding of the King and Queen of Belgium. A mark 
was the price of admission to see them, and the proceeds 
to be devoted to the National Orphan Asylum. Brussels, 
like Paris, is full of monuments ; the one to commemo- 
rate the battle of Waterloo is of the same design as Napo- 
leon's tomb in the Hotel des Invalides in Paris. A fine 
statue of Godfrey, first King of Jerusalem, carried our minds 
back to the times of the Crusaders. We visited one very 
old church, also the fine Cathedral ; in fact, the prominent 
buildings are all worthy of interest. Brussels is very gay in 
winter, and the citizens pride themselves on their operatic 
and theatrical performances, declaring that nothing but what 
is very good can be allowed on their stage, but at our season 
of visiting, the beau-monde were out of town. 

Back again to dear, delightful Paris, undergoing another 
examination of luggage as we crossed the frontier again, and 
we feel stronger and refreshed from our three weeks' travel. 
Arriving at a different station, I thought the better plan 
would be to engage a voiture, as we had some awkward lug- 
gage. When I asked a coachman his fee for driving us to 
No. 11 Bue de la Butte Chaumont, a smile played over his 
face as he answered, " Un franc, madame.^^ I did not under- 



188 WE FOUR. 

stand his mobile expression until, as we drove from the station- 
yard, I said, " Girls, just around that corner is our boarding- 
house, but our driver will not take us straight there." Nor 
did he ; he took his way around the Rue de Lafayette, brought 
us up the Boulevard St. Denis, and landed us in style at our 
door. I handed him his fare, and he commenced asking for 
more by declaring that he did not know we had so much lug- 
gage. I have always made it a rule to state the exact amount 
of our baggage, so I knew that was one of his subterfuges 
with the hope of extorting money, as Madame declared the 
coachmen, all " peek-pock-ets.^'' I pointed to the station, and 
told him for the distance he had been paid enough. The 
smile, I at first, had seen, again played over his countenance, 
and with a satisfied air, I saw him coming out of the wine- 
shop next door, as we watched from our window for his de- 
parture. Madame and I took a carriage at nine o'clock that 
same evening to go to the Lyons station to meet Monsieur, 
who had been on a visit to Blois. 

We had a very long ride through the old part of Paris — 
passed the Place de la Bastille, which I have described — be- 
fore we reached this handsome depot. It was new to my 
American eyes to note that all luggage must be examined 
within the Paris gates ; no countrywoman can enter with a 
basket of eggs but that basket must be searched, conse- 
quently there was much delay after the arrival of the train 
before the new-comers could join their waiting friends. 
Another feature of French life were the demonstrations of 
joy in meeting, or grief in parting, both of which were evi- 
denced by kissing. A number of soldiers had returned home 
on a furlough, and to see those bronzed and bearded men kiss- 
ing their fathers and brothers first on one cheek, then on the 
other, was rather strange to our phlegmatic temperaments. 

Thursday^ August 15, 1878. — A gala day in Paris, the 
Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, so we started 



PARIS. 189 

to the Church St. E/Och to witness the ceremonies. This is 
one of the fashionable churches of Paris, but it must be on 
account of its size, for it is ugly without, and only relieved 
by pictures and statues from being ugly within. The paint- 
ing and sculpture commemorate Coustou, Coysevox, Jouvenot, 
and Pujol ; monuments to Corneille, Descartes, Cardinal Du- 
bois, and Abbe de I'Epee, are pointed out to visitors. We 
had reserved seats, from which we had a good view of the 
chancel and high altar. In addition to the choristers, six men 
were engaged, — I suppose, professionals ; while two fine organs 
and two bass-viols gave sufficient accompaniment to the rich 
voices. A number of young girls dressed in white, with blue 
sashes, and covered with white veils, formed a processional 
around the chancel, carrying beautifully embroidered banners. 
A large cake was blessed by the priests and distributed in 
small pieces to the people, as a part of the ceremony. The 
sermon was preached from the incident in the life of our 
Lord when he visited the home of Lazarus ; it was a beautiful 
discourse, but scarcely suitable to the day. 

We took lunch at one of Duval's establishments in the 
Rue de Montesquieu, where the cooking is going on in the 
centre of the building, and the diners occupy the galleries, 
from which one has a good view of the preparing of one's 
dinner before it is brought to the table. 

We had an invitation to dine with a French lady, who oc- 
cupied the sixth floor of a large house ; she had a fine suite 
of rooms, and from her high balconies we could see the 
tallest monuments of the Pere La Chaise and the gloomy 
towers of the Prison de la Roquette. The latter contains a 
separate department for juvenile ofienders ; and in the court- 
yard of the prison for condemned criminals stands a marble 
tablet, which records that on the " 24th of May, 1871, Arch- 
bishop Darboy and five priests, imprisoned as hostages, were 
brutally shot by order of Ferre, Prefet de Police of the 



190 WE FOUR. 

Republican Commune." On the 26th, thirty-seven other 
prisoners were murdered in cold blood ; on the 2'7th, sixty- 
six gens d'armes were indiscriminately slaughtered by the mob 
of National Guards, or condemned convicts released by Ferre 
to act as executioners. 

Capital punishment by the guillotine takes place in an open 
square in front of the prison. 

On Friday, after a visit had been paid to the fashionable 
establishment of Worth by Pomona and Clio, the couple 
wended their way to the Hotel des Invalides, where they 
met Artemis and Erato, accompanied by Madame A., and 
commenced an inspection of that building. It is beautifully 
situated on the south bank of the Seine, and was founded in 
1670 by Louis XIV. On a terrace in front of the grand 
court is ranged a battery of trophy guns, — Austrian (relics of 
Austerlitz), Prussian, Algiers, Dutch, Chinese, and German. 
Small gardens are given to the old men as a privilege to culti- 
vate. They show unmistakably the difference in taste ; some 
abound in roses, others show the ripening grape-vine ; some 
produce fruit, a few prefer vegetables ; and one essayed tobacco. 

An equestrian statue of Louis XIV. surmounts the centre 
entrance which leads to the Great Court, whose arched gal- 
leries are covered with paintings illustrating French history. 
We first visited the dinino;-rooms and kitchens. In the latter 
are caldrons capable of cooking twelve hundred pounds of 
meat. The dinner hour is four o'clock. There are accommo- 
dations for five thousand, but there were about seven hundred 
inmates when we were there. Their costume is a blue uni- 
form and a cocked hat ; and they are given an allowance in 
money according to their rank, a private twenty-four francs 
per annum, the governor of the hospital forty thousand 
francs. Those who have lost their legs receive their shoes' 
allowance in money. Thirty years' service or severe wounds 
are qualifications for admission. 



PARIS. 191 

The Musee d'Artillerie next occupied our attention. Models 
and weapons from the Bastille ; the trophies of Napoleons I. 
and III. ; suits of armor of the French kings ; weapons of dif- 
ferent eras, — from the stone and bronze ages to the present, — 
and also specimens from different countries, form an unrivalled 
collection. The Library contains twenty thousand volumes, 
and there, also, is preserved the cannon-ball which killed 
Marshal Turenne in 16V5. 

We then entered the Church of St. Louis, and were in- 
stantly struck by the sight of the flags suspended from the 
roof. They are relics of Africa and Sebastopol ; one English 
flag gives no sign of fighting bravely before being captured ! 
The dome is the beauty of the chapel, it rises three hundred 
and ten feet above the pavement, and is the work of Jules 
Hardouin Mansard. One writer says, " It is the masterpiece 
of the architect, and one of the most conspicuous ornaments 
of Paris." I do not like the word ornament, it rises above 
the tomb of Napoleon, and might better be styled the loftiest 
monument in Paris. In 1801 the inauguration of the Legion 
of Honor took place in this chapel in the presence of Napo- 
leon, who was then only First Consul. 

The pensioners meet here for service every morning, and 
on Sunday have military mass at twelve o'clock. 

On the piers we read the names of Mortier, Jourdan, 
Moncey, Oudinot, Duroc, Grouchy, and Bugeaud, generals 
interred here, but whose memories still live. The entrance 
to the tomb of Napoleon is from the Place Vauban, by the 
great gate at the south. A circular marble balustrade enables 
one to look down into the depth, nineteen feet, where stands 
the sarcophagus of the great Napoleon. 

We descend to the opening of the vault by two marble 
stairways, which are behind the high altar, and guardiog the 
entrance to the tomb are the sepulchral urns of the two 
faithful friends of the Emperor, — Marshals Duroc and Ber- 



192 WE FOUR. 

trand. Two bronze gates supported by bronze colossal statues 
close the tomb, over wbicli one can read this extract from the 
will of him who rests there : " Je desire que mes cendres 
reposent sur les bords de la Seine, au milieu de ce peuple 
Frangais, que j'ai tant aime." His sarcophagus is a block 
of granite from Lake Onega, in Russia, and weighs thirteen 
tons, and stands on a mosaic pavement. The circular bal- 
ustrade, of which I spoke, is supported by twelve colossal 
statues, sculptured by Pradier. In the transepts of the 
church are the monuments of Yauban and Turenne. Here 
also lie the eldest and youngest brothers of the Emperor, 
Joseph and Jerome. In a sepulchral chapel can be seen the 
sword, crown, insignia of the Emperor, and the colors taken 
by him in battles. 

Taking a carriage, we proceeded next to the Bibliotheque 
Nationale, at the corner of Rues Richelieu and Colbert, for- 
merly the palace of the Cardinal de Mazarin. It contains 
the rarest of collections of books and medals and coins. I 
made note of a Polyglot Bible of 1569 and 1573 in Hebrew; 
Books of Hours, belonging once to Marie Stuart and Louis 
XIY. ; the Bibles of Blanche of Castile and Joanne of France ; 
a Commentary, written in the tenth century, on the Book of 
Ezekiel. Another Book of Hours of 1458, belonging to 
Ferdinand of Naples, a rolled manuscript made of palm- 
leaves, a palimpsest of Ephraim of the fourteenth century, 
illuminated Epistles of St. Paul of the eleventh century, and 
a Samaritan manuscript of the Pentateuch of the thirteenth 
century ; manuscripts on bamboo, autographs of distin- 
guished persons, manuscripts of the sixth century, and 
printed volumes of 1464 and 1472 ; books decorated with 
precious stones ; ancient cameos, Etruscan and silver vases, 
an agate cup of the Ptolemies, a large silver plate found in 
the Rhone, and the celebrated Zodiac of Denderah. A bronze 
throne of Dagobert's, from the Musee des Souverains, at the 



PARIS. 193 

Louvre, and the heart of Voltaire in a gilt box, are a little 
out of the order of a library collection, but they add to the 
curious matter which attracts the visitor. Our time was so 
limited that only a desultory glance could be given to what 
otherwise would profitably occupy days of study. 

The Jardin des Plantes employed the whole of Saturday 
afternoon ; it is not merely a pleasure-ground, but includes 
laboratories and lecture-rooms, a fine library containing sev- 
enty thousand volumes, and sixteen professors giving lectures ; 
there are about fifteen hundred students attending these lec- 
tures, which are gratuitous ; the most eminent naturalists of 
France have been attached to this institution. 

Our hostess, being interested in the cause of education, 
was very anxious that we should visit this botanical garden, 
to which she had often resorted with children, in order to in- 
struct them. It is located southeast of Paris, opposite the 
Bridge d'Austerlitz. It was begun in 1626 by Louis XIII. , 
and opened in 1650. Its former name was ^^ Jardin du Hoi,^^ 
but has now become republicanized to the " Jardin des 
Plantes." We first passed through the avenue of medicinal 
plants, then flowers, shrubbery, and grains, until we reached 
the ^''Ecole de Botanique^'' where the plants are arranged 
according to the Jussiean system entirely for study. A curious 
walk is the Labyrinth, whose complicated paths lead to the 
summit of a hill, upon which a pavilion has been erected, 
and from which a fine view of the surrounding districts can 
be obtained. We passed on our way up a cedar of Lebanon, 
eighty feet high, which was presented when only one foot 
high by Bernard de Jussieu in 1755. He had received it 
from Collinson, the English botanist, in that year. Descend- 
ing from this Labyrinth, without any difficulty, we reached 
the Zoological G-arden, but whose inmates are too well known 
to mention here. We next visited the stuifed collection of 
animals, the geological and mineralogical galleries, and the 
I 17 



194 WE FOUR. 

Museum of Comparative Anatomy ; the principal curiosities 
of the latter room are the skeletons of the Mussulman who 
murdered General Kleber, and the dwarf Bebe ; also the 
phrenological collection formed by Dr. Grall. 

A most interesting visit was paid by us to a public school- 
teacher, who resided in the building where the school was 
located, No. 5 E-ue Milton. In Paris the public schools are 
divided into Roman Catholic and Protestant, but both equally 
supported by the government. Being vacation, we could only 
look through the deserted class-rooms and the chapel for as- 
sembling for worship. We were very much pleased with the 
Primary Department, with its varied charts. 

They have a system by which a deaf and dumb pupil can 
be taught the alphabet, spelling, and reading with the eye as 
readily as the child with each sense complete, and the mute 
system of conversation being thus imparted to the latter class 
of children, mutual communication between them can always 
be effected. The average time of an ordinary intellect to 
comprehend the reading of easy words is one month, after a 
lesson of only five minutes a day. The hours of study are 
from nine to twelve o'clock a.m., and one to four p.m. The 
noon hour is spent during the summer in a large court-yard, 
where the children eat their luncheon ; in winter basement- 
rooms are set aside for that purpose, in which light gymnas- 
tics can be conducted. In this lowest grade the salaries of 
the principals commence at five hundred dollars, and after 
three years of teaching they receive six hundred and twenty- 
five dollars ; the assistants begin with three hundred and 
seventy-five dollars, which, after the same course of time, is 
increased to four hundred and fifty dollars. 

We had left to the last the ride to the Bois de Boulogne 
as our farewell remembrance of Paris ; and, in order to see 
the city better, we took a tramway to this beautiful park. 
This is probably the last relic of monarchy, as it was Napoleon 



PARIS. 195 

III.'s gift to the city of Paris, and it seems hardly likely that 
France will ever again lose its republican government, as it is 
growing in political wisdom every day. We first visited the 
Jardin d' Acclimation, a piece of ground of five acres, in 
which are animals, not wild, but those which can possibly be 
acclimatized. So far, success has only attended the llama and 
the Thibet ox. They have the finest collection of dogs that I 
have ever seen, and on certain days you can purchase there. 
I showed to Madame the prairie-dogs, and explained to her 
their nature and peculiarities ; she was ecstatic in her admira- 
tion of them, and delighted with her information. There was 
not as good a display of animals as at the Jardin des Plantes, 
nor were the artificial arrangements as good, but I think the 
aviaries and aquariums were far better. In the terrible siege 
of 1870 those animals that could be eaten were slaughtered. 

For amusement, camels and dromedaries were saddled for 
riding ; elephants pavilioned for the same purpose, ostriches 
drawing phaetons, and donkeys and zebras saddled for eques- 
trians. Nor were these only intended for children's pleasure, 
gentlemen and ladies availed themselves of the privilege, and 
the scene of mounting and dismounting was like a play. 
We witnessed an exhibition of the Grauchos from South 
America in their great lasso feats. Their dark skins, broad 
Panama hats, leather leggings, their blouses girdled with broad 
belts, their short cloaks, and the quickness with which the 
horses (wild ?) were caught, formed an interesting picture, 
which riveted our attention for some time. 

An excellent band discoursed classic music in the pavilion, 
but our time was too limited to listen long. 

Monsieur now engaged two carriages, and we took the 
drive through the woods. The Park covers two thousand 
five hundred acres, seventy of which, however, is water. We 
first drove to the small lake, on which are rowing-boats for 
hire ; two beautiful green islands in the midst of it were very 



196 WE FOUR. 

inviting, but the drive by the side of the lake was equally as 
enchanting. We passed one waterfall, but its artificial beauty 
was exceeded by the Cascade de Longchamps, so called from 
being near the ruins of an abbey of that name ; and the little 
windmill, now used for pumping up the water for the lakes, 
was built in the twelfth century by the mother of St. Louis, 
Blanche of Castile, for the use of the Abbey, as the latter 
was intended for the retirement of the ladies of- the court 
when feeling extraordinarily, pious-inclined. The Cascade is 
forty feet high, and beneath it are caverns, where those who 
like to see the under part of a waterfall can enjoy the sight 
and spray. We went to the pinnacle of the Cascade, and saw 
before us the massive towers of Mont Yalerien ; farther off 
were the spires and domes of la helle mile de Paris. Taking 
our carriages again, we proceeded in the sunset hour home- 
ward by the Avenue d'Uhrich, which is bounded by handsome 
villas and delightful shade-trees, until we reached the Arc de 
I'Etoile, whence we took the Avenue de Friedland for the 
goal of dinner. 

Monday morning we started for the shores of old England. 
Riding through Paris, we looked with steady gaze at its high 
buildings, gay stores, handsome boulevards, that we might 
never forget the city in which we had spent some three happy 
weeks; and, as my eyes wandered o'er its fair surroundings, I 
said, " Good-by ; I may never see you again." Madame looked 
at me with her beautiful soft eyes, and said, " Do not say 
that, child. Remember, it will be as Grod wills." I felt my 
doubting heart rebuked by her '■^simple faitliP 

I have already described the road between Dieppe and 
Paris, and in regard to the Channel, the day-boats are prefer- 
able to the night-boats, — much cleaner and larger, and one 
does not have to " stumble in darkness" or by the flickering 
light which makes the darkness more visible. The sea, how- 
ever, was in its natural condition ; the waves dashed as high 



THE CHANNEL. 197 

as the smoke-stack, and washed the passengers, who had hoped 
to linger on deck, down to the fetid atmosphere of the cabins. 
The time-table says that the train will start from Newhaven 
at five o'clock p.m. According to English arrangement, as 
usual, we started at seven o'clock, and had two minor acci- 
dents, which delayed us so that we did not arrive in London 
until near ten o'clock. 

A young French girl had been placed in Paris in the 
wrong train. She, expecting to reach Havre, remained in 
blissful ignorance of her route until we arrived at the Chan- 
nel, where, not seeing her friends, the full awkwardness of 
her position dawned upon her. Her tears attracted the 
attention of the ever-ready and more kindly American gentle- 
men, and with their natural tact they said the first thing to 
be done was to telegraph to Paris for the London address to 
which the young lady was going. For she, expecting to meet 
her friend, who would accompany her to London, knew not 
her destination. 

The train interpreter, a coarse, rough man, who had been 
drinking, declared his intention of seeing her safely through, 
but was highly indignant at the young American taking 
upon himself the first duty. The girl was placed in our 
charge until we reached London, the interpreter not being 
able to gainsay her the privilege of ladies' society, and we 
learned that she had just lost a mother, her only near rela- 
tive, and friends of her mother, residing in London, had sent 
for her, promising to take care of her. Poor girl ! to make 
her home in a strange land, without a word, as yet, of their 
harsh language on her tongue. We felt very anxious about 
her, but encouraged her as best we could until the tears dried 
on her cheeks. We saw that the interpreter had a prior right 
to take care of her, being her own countryman, and she, too, 
felt more at ease with him than with us, who talked French 
with an English accent, so om' countrymen could do no more 

17* 



198 WE FOUR. 

than to inquire at the telegraph-office for their answer, which 
had, fortunately, come, and then call the next day to see if 
the young girl had arrived in safety. 

Another incident of an opposite character and this railway 
journey is over. Opposite to me was seated one, whom I 
thought a phlegmatic Englishman, but was only engrossingly 
selfish. The black face of a soot-covered English lady did not 
disturb his risibilities ; the sorrows of the French damsel did 
not excite his sympathies ; but the time taken in travel began 
to jar on the gentleman's nerves. He had read newspaper 
after newspaper in moody silence until darkness set in (I may 
here state he did not offer any reading matter to his fellow- 
companions), and then began to growl at each stoppage, saying, 
" I could walk as fast as this. I wish I had started to walk." 

" That is just what I was thinking, sir ; but as this seems 
to be your regular style of travelling in England, I concluded 
to put up with it;" I responded. 

He looked savagely at me, but could not decipher whether 
I spoke from sarcasm or ignorance, so relapsed into his former 
immobility and growled no more ; and, as we had determined 
to see only the bright sides of our journey, we found amuse- 
ment even in our delays, and only felt with Hamlet, his one 
desire, — 

" Come, for England." 

Act 4, Scene 3. 



PART SIXTH. 

SCOTLAND. 

" Edina ! Scotia's darling seat ! 

All hail thy palaces and towers, 
"Where once, beneath a monarch's feet. 
Sat Legislation's sovereign powers ! 
From marking wildly-scattered flowers, 

As on the banks of Ayr I strayed. 
And singing, lone, the ling'ring hours, 
I shelter in thy honored shade." 

Burns : Address to Edinburgh. 

Wednesday^ August 12, 1878. — We started this morning 
for Scotland by the Midland Railway, which, I believe, con- 
tains the best furnished cars and is the finest conducted 
railroad in England. In our compartment was a pleasant 
gentleman who was going to Scotland for a few days' shooting, 
and his conversation made the route to our stranger-eyes very 
agreeable. We passed Leeds, Sheffield, and Wakefield (which 
Goldsmith has immortalized). The former towns, so noted for 
their manufactures, have been ruined by Americans, so we 
were told. The true reason is, that the operatives have never 
been governed by prudence, nor took any measures to lay 
aside for the dark days that come to every one. They once 
made from eighty to one hundred shillings a week, and lived 
as if they were lords on unlimited incomes, — the pint of ale 
was superseded by champagne ; now they barely make ten 
shillings, and have not only poverty to contend with but the 
extravagant notions engendered in their minds. There are 
some, however, whose common sense refreshes us, and our 
attention was called to Titus Salt, who began life a poor 

199 



200 WE FOUR. 

apprentice boy, but died a few years ago worth millions of 
dollars. He founded tlie town of Saltaire, which now con- 
tains four thousand inhabitants^ and which he endowed with 
a university and charitable institutions. We passed through 
the coal regions of England and then the limestone, until we 
reached the Eildon Hills. 

The ruins of abbeys on our route recalled to us what 
England was, in monastic days ; but we are now at the foot of 
the Eildon Hills, where lies Melrose, the seat of abbeys, on 
the south bank of the Tweed, over which a chain bridge 
connects Melrose with Grattonside, and which we, as tourists 
considered our duty to cross during our rambles on the fol- 
lowing day. But this evening we were too brain-wearied for 
aught but rest, so we put up at the Waverley Hotel ; being 
so near the station, we concluded it would be more convenient 
for us. 

A lovely morning, with every promise of being very warm 
during the rest of the day, greeted us as we opened our eyes 
in this charmed and charming place, and thought of our visit 
to " Melrose Abbey." Ruins are picturesque, of course ; I 
believe I gave the usual quota of admiration to Heidelberg, 
but I give the palm for beauty to Melrose. It was founded 
in 1136 by David I., and two hideous stone heads, purporting 
to represent himself and wife Matilda, mark the spot where 
they lie buried. The poor abbey has gone through a series 
of devastations in its time, the greatest outrages being per- 
formed by the Scottish reformers, who carried away most of 
the figures of saints which adorned the outside of the edifice. 
The few that were left by their vandalism are much muti- 
lated. Melrose was burnt by the English during the reign 
of Bruce; then repaired; burnt in 1385, again repaired at 
great expense ; then in the reign of James TV. underwent 
other improvements ; but destruction had marked it for its 
own, and it is a sad relic of antiquated grandeur. The ground- 



SCOTLAND. 201 

plan is that of a cross, and the nave lies due east and west, 
and is two hundred and fifty-eight feet in length, seventy-nine 
in breadth ; the transepts are one hundred and thirty feet in 
length, and the breadth forty-four feet. Beneath what was 
once a magnificent chancel-window, lies the noble heart of 
Bruce, the resting-place only marked by a simple stone. On 
the right of the chancel is the tomb of Alexander II., and 
on the left that of Black Douglas. In St. Bridget's Chapel 
is the grave of Michael Scott, the wizard, of whom Sir Walter 
speaks in his " Lay of the Last Minstrel." A grotesque figure 
at the foot of the grave either represents the wizard or one 
of the weird phantoms he has so often invoked. The image 
of the saint of the chapel still fills its appropriate niche. 

Alongside of Scott's grave is that of Sir Ralph Ivers, who 
lost his life in the battle of Antrim Muir. His gravestone 
is enclosed with iron bands, as if the brave soldier would at- 
tempt to rise from his receptacle ere the " last trump will 
sound." A large stone is shown to us where Sir Walter Scott 
used often to sit and muse on the fading glories of his favorite 
abbey. The carving of the pillars still exhibits varied beauty, 
one chapiter is a hand, an exquisite female hand, holding a 
bouquet of rare flowers ; there is one window that represents 
the crown of thorns ; in fact, all the designs within the Abbey 
evince a better taste than those without. The gargoyles are 
very ludicrous, the one of a pig playing on the bagpipes is 
shown to visitors, and others are intended to personify angels 
(but certainly not celestial) playing upon different musical 
instruments. 

The large church-yard is interesting not only from antiquity, 
but on reading names with which Sir Walter Scott has made 
us familiar. We went into the priory to purchase photo- 
graphic views, and lingered for a while in the grass-grown 
spot once known as the priory garden, whose high wall shut 
all but heaven's view from the friars' eyes. Weeds and grass 
I* 



202 WE FOUR. 

are growing now where stone floors once echoed to the clang 
of warriors' feet and the gentle rustling of the satin trains 
of courtly dames. We went out of the large iron gateway- 
still with the enchantress's spell upon us, the spell of the past. 

At the Abbey Hotel we took a handsome barouche for our 
morning drive, and first to Dryburgh Abbey was our order to 
the coachman, a fine specimen of Scotland's sons. 

These ruins were four miles east of Melrose, and our whole 
journey was not only enchanting with romantic scenery, but 
historical in reminiscences. 

We passed Flodden Field, upon whose blood-stained ground 
has been erected a monument to those slain there in the 
battle of 1513. 

We saw Ravenswood, now the residence of the Earl of 
Buccleugh, but tradition has never told of any more hapless 
bridegrooms within its boundaries. The Abbey, that we had 
just visited, is on the estate of the earl I mentioned above, 
who, like a showman, makes money to pay the expenses of 
keeping the place from total decay by charging a price of ad- 
mission. We were now obliged to alight from our carriage 
and cross the winding Tweed on a suspension bridge, which 
rocked like a cradle at every step we took, Dryburgh Abbey 
being situated on a peninsula formed by the river. The view 
up and down the memorable Tweed was most beautiful on 
this summer morning, a delicate haze overspread the land- 
scape, which did not conceal, but heightened, the tints on the 
face of Nature. 

We passed a monument erected to the poet Thomson, the 
author of the " Seasons," — that being his best-known work, — 
also a tower, with cannon broken and ruined on its ramparts ; 
it was called Stirling Tower. Then Dryburgh House, belong- 
ing to the Earl of Buchan's family. We inquired of a ruddy- 
faced, strong-looking woman, with her milk-pails over her 
shoulders in the manner represented in children's toy-books, 



SCOTLAND. 203 

if the family were at home. She said they were at the sea- 
shore, but she did not know the name of the place, but could 
find out by going up to the house. It was as much as we 
could do to prevent the woman from taking that long walk 
through the park up to the mansion in order to satisfy us ; so 
I told her, as gravely as I could, that as we were obliged to 
go to Edinburgh the next day, we would have no trouble in 
learning their whereabouts from their friends. I may as well 
state here that we forgot to inquire on reaching Edinburgh. 

A very ancient mansion in the vicinity, called Bemerside, 
has been occupied by the Haig family since the days of Mal- 
colm ly. Nearly opposite the Abbey is the village of St. 
Boswell's, where every July a cattle-fair is held. 

Dryburgh Abbey was founded by David I. in 1150, and is 
larger than Melrose, and is particularly graceful in style. 
You cannot stand in the centre of the nave and view it at 
once, as can be done at Melrose, but it is cut up into chapels, 
that you can wander from one to another as in a maze. In 
the one dedicated to St. Mary is a handsome Italian marble 
tomb, enclosed from ruthless hands by an iron railing, and on 
it we read that Sir Walter Scott was laid there, September 
26, 1832. Since that date the chapel has enclosed his wife, 
eldest son, and his faithful biographer, Mr. Lockhart. We 
saw some moss-grown steps, and ascending them, judged they 
must have led to the belfry tower, for a perfect picture pre- 
sented itself before us as we gazed, — the broad avenue lined 
with trees by which we had entered, and the shining Tweed 
losing itself in the sky. Descending, we read the inscriptions 
on monuments, whose dates, partly obliterated, were those of 
the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. To us who came from 
a land who can only count back two centuries, we felt lost 
among these relics of a past age. We went through the 
priory garden, where the boxwood border had become trees 
and formed a thick shade, that, leaving the clear sunbeams, 



204 WE FOUR. 

we found ourselves in semi-twilight, following a path we knew 
not whither ; at length we arrived at the priory, a long, low- 
ceilinged room, with narrow windows, now secularized for the 
sale of mementos of the Abbey. A turret-window, repre- 
senting the Star of Bethlehem, seemed to me to be in the 
best state of preservation, and let the light of heaven in upon 
this scene of decay like a symbol of promise. A pleasant 
walk back beneath the spreading trees, across the rocking 
bridge, and found our coachman had improved the shining 
hours by gathering for Clio a bouquet of cereals and wild- 
flowers. As Erato's taste consisted in geological surveys, her 
collection consisted in pieces of brick, stones, pebbles, from 
the haunts that history had immortalized. 

We now ordered the driver to take us three miles west of 
Melrose, to Abbotsford, Sir Walter Scott's residence, and by 
a singular coincidence now occupied by Hope Scott, Esq., 
who married Lady Maxwell, Sir Walter's granddaughter. 
There is no lineal descendant of the great novelist whose 
name of Scott has come to them from him. 

The study, library, armory, and picture-gallery are shown 
to visitors, also the dining-room in which Sir Walter Scott 
died ; but which, on account of the presence of the family, 
was closed at this time. 

The butler was our cicerone, and I wish, I could give to 
you his peculiar intonation and his tangible disrespect to the 
letter H ; but my readers must be content with a summary 
of what we saw in Abbotsford. 

An ebony desk, handsomely carved with scriptural figures ; 
and quaintly-carved, stufi'ed chairs, were presents from ad- 
mirers of Sir Walter's genius. An oak cabinet was a bequest 
from his grandfather. We saw a likeness of Prince Charlie 
and a lock of his hair ; a brooch of Helen Macgregor's, and 
Flora Macdonald's pocket-book, also one, once belonging to 
Kob Roy ; Sir Walter's gun, the clothes he last wore ; an ex 



SCOTLAND. 205 

ecutioner's axe, the key of Selkirk jorison, also the key of the 
old Tolbooth of 1818 ; copies of the curious sculpture of 
Melrose Abbey ; a letter-case and a pair of revolvers taken 
from Napoleon's carriage after the battle of Waterloo. In 
t\\Q library are twenty thousand volumes. In the picture-gal- 
lery were the likenesses of the Scott family, of Mary Stuart, 
of Tom Purdie, Sir Walter's gamekeeper, and other retainers ; 
Baillie Nichol Jarvie and Fairfax, the printer. Busts of Sir 
AValter Scott and Professor Wilson ( Christopher JN'orth) were 
in the library, also a life-size picture of Captain Scott, the 
nobleman's onl?/ son, who died in India. This represents 
him in uniform standing by the side of his charger, with the 
bridle thrown carelessly over his left arm. It seemed almost 
like a sacrilege to wander thus in rooms and gaze upon books 
and pictures that were so dear to the heart of the departed, 
and the genius of the man was lingering still around those 
sacred haunts, and I breathed more freely when I was once 
more with Nature, which was mine as well as his ; my share 
of God's inheritance which no man taketh away. 

We were now driving back to Melrose, but stopped at a pic- 
turesque farm-house for a glass of milk ; while the woman was 
procuring it, an old man dressed in Highland costume came 
forward and asked if he should " play the pipe for the leddies." 
This musical instrument had always annoyed me in the streets 
of our cities, but as a lady from Missouri, who had joined we 
four at Melrose, had never heard the bagpipes, I bade him 
play, and resignedly threw myself back in the carriage to be 
made nervous. But what sound is that ? I leaned forward 
again, and my eyes filled with tears as I saw but the old man 
standing beneath the summer sun, bareheaded except with 
life's winter's snows upon him, and giving forth the weird 
strains of the past. It was no longer the rasping sound of 
the bagpipes, the cliffs re-echoed the melody, the earth vi- 
brated to sad music, and the spirit of Ossian breathed from 

18 



206 WE FOUR. 

his native air. No wonder tliat the Scot loves the sounds 
that remind him of his fatherland. 

Arriving again at the Abbey, we dismissed our charioteer, 
and took a stroll around the village. We entered one of the 
cottages to make inquiries, and were much pleased at the order 
that reigned there ; the bedstead was a closet in the wall, 
although not enclosed, deep enough for a double feather-bed, 
and to hide which curtains are drawn before it. I spoke of 
the culture of flowers ; there is not a cottage but has a garden 
before it full of beautiful plants, more blooming than is gener- 
ally seen in our country. We sat upon a lovely green bank 
by the side of a rippling stream and mused on the summer 
landscape and dreamed of home, till aroused by summons for 
the train, for we must reach Edinburgh before nightfall. 

As we were coming into the city a new building was pointed 
out to us as the penitentiary, for the Tolbooth of the past was 
becoming too dilapidated to remain any longer in its original 
position, and must make way for a stronger prison. We put 
up at the " Waverley," on Prince's Street, the principal thor- 
oughfare of the new town, and presenting more the appearance 
of an extensive terrace than a street, as it overlooks the pub- 
lic gardens. After tea we commenced our investigations, and 
began first at the Scott Monument, opposite our hotel. It is 
built of granite, but not in a heavy manner, being more like 
a Gothic steeple. The figures which surround it personify 
the heroes and heroines of Scott's novels, rendering the whole 
design quite eiFective. We ascended this monument (two 
hundred and eighty-five steps), that we might have a better 
idea of this city, which is considered the finest situated in 
Great Britain, and laid out with the most symmetry. Our 
next goal was Calton Hill, the acropolis of Edinburgh, and 
from its vast summit can be seen the Frith of Forth, the 
distant hills of Fife, and the nearer Arthur's Seat, and looking 
towards the west the city is spread below us. Here stands 



SCOTLAND. 207 

the Royal Observatory, presided over by Professor Smytli ; 
and farther on the commencement of what was to be a Par- 
thenon, as a national monument to the heroes who fell at the 
battle of Waterloo ; the monuments to Dugald Stewart and 
Jonathan Playfair, and quite a lofty one upon a rock, erected 
to the memory of Nelson. Some boys were flying kites upon 
the hill, and calling one, we pointed to the last-named monu- 
ment and asked what it was. 

" 'Tis a rock," was the reply. 

" We know it is a rock, — that is, a stone ; but why is it 
placed there ?" 

" Dunno," was the answer. 

" Is it the monument to Nelson?" we inquired once more. 

" Dunno," again was the reply. 

Another boy started forward, who, if he knew no more than 
the first, was, at least, smarter, and said, — 

" Yes'm, it is Nelson's monument." 

Ah, boys ! under the very shadow of heroes, flying kites, 
ignorant of the past and careless for the future. 

The High School is situated on the slope of the hill, and 
Burns's monument, containing relics of the poet in the way 
of letters, is on the other side. We could see the circular 
monument erected to David Hume, the historian, towering 
above the others in Calton Church-yard. 

But night was gathering around us, and, foot-sore and 
brain-weary, we retired to our couches, to be ready for another 
trip on the morrow. 

Our morning's journey was over the business portion of the 
city, but we came to the conclusion that Edinburgh is not 
properly a mercantile metropolis, so we tried art by entering 
the Boyal Institution, containing the National Grallery and the 
Antiquarian Museum. In the latter we saw ancient sculp- 
ture casts containing Bible scenes in relief from the creation 
of the world down to the time of Joshua. The statues were. 



208 WE FOUR. 

as usual, copies of those in the Vatican. But the Picture- 
Gallery contained more students than any other in which we 
had been ; they seemed to be copying everywhere and every 
picture. There was a series of paintings representing Judith 
and Holofernes : the first shows the former's maid at the door 
of the tent waiting for her mistress ; the second was Judith 
giving the fatal stroke ; the third was Judith leaving the tent 
with the head in her hand. " Leaving the Manse" was an 
afiecting scene, vividly portrayed. " The Murder of Rizzio," 
at the time he was dragged through the chambers to the pri- 
vate stairway, " Jeanie Dean when stopped by the Robbers 
on her way to Edinburgh," were local in their features. We 
saw a genuine Murillo of a boy drinking. That artist seems 
to have chosen his subjects from the most homely themes. 
There were some very fine altar-pieces, and perfect copies of 
Rubens's Crucifixion and " The Transfiguration." A life-size 
portrait of the Princess Beatrice first attracted my attention 
as the likeness of a girl to whom life had proved a failure, 
young though she was. I did not see the Princess, but I 
hope her portrait is not a correct one ; the artist should have, 
at least, flattered the expression. We examined also a large 
collection of water-colored drawings, which require more deli- 
cacy of skill than painting in oil. 

" This looks familiar," said Erato, and went on her knees 
down on the floor before a small painting. 

" Yes, it is the Schuylkill," rejoined Pomona, and would have 
knelt also, but Erato was in her way. A young lady, copying 
Bubens's Crucifixion, looking up from her work, said to us, — 

"It is the Schuylkill Biver by the Falls. Did you ever 
see it ?" 

" Indeed we have, many a time." 

" Then it is a good picture ?" 

"Very good, indeed," we replied, and went away, feeling 
as if we had had a glimpse of home. 



SCOTLAND. 209 

The Aquarium, whicli we next visited, contains the inhab- 
itants of the sea, from the large serpent to the little insect that 
sheds its phosphorescent gleam upon the water. The re- 
mainder of this large building was laid out in booths, where 
many handsome small articles were sold. But one of the most 
novel of sights to us were the fishwomen from the coast, who 
came up to Edinburgh to sell their fish. Their dress con- 
sisted of a blue flannel skirt barely touching the ankles and 
tucked as far as the knee, woollen stockings and low shoes, 
a bodice of dark serge over the white, high-necked chemise 
that had sleeves to the elbow ; a cloak fell from the shoulder, 
and a white cap completed the attire. Some had their hair 
plaited in long braids, others wore it flowing. Just below 
the waist a stiff" hoop was placed in the upper part of the 
skirt. We could not tell the use at first, until we saw that 
a large basket, called a creel^ was lodged on this on the 
back and fastened to the head by a broad leather strap, 
and thus the fish were carried. They are of Norse ancestry, 
conversing in the original Graelic. I asked one of the offi- 
cials " from whence they had come." He answered, '■'■Down 
the coastj^ but proceeded to launch forward in praise of 
them as hard-working, respectable women in such eulogistic 
terms that made me think that he doubted the sincerity of 
my question. However, by dint of apologies I placed my- 
self in a proper light. The Scotch as a people are quick 
to take off"ence ; in fact, to imagine slights or sarcasms 
where none are intended. I felt myself in a continual 
" beg-pardon" frame of mind in consequence of my natural 
American brusqueness. 

Saturday morning^ August 24. — In a pouring rain and 
with the wind blowing as if November of our own country 
was with us, we started to the old town to visit the Castle. 
We were obliged to climb steps to reach this section, where 
the houses vary from seven stories to ten. One is not only 

18* 



210 WE FOUR. 

engrossed by these quaint buildings, but on Higb Street can 
see the Town Hall, the New Assembly Hall, St. Giles's Church, 
the Bank of Scotland, Moray House, John Knox's house, and 
the Canongate Tolbooth, which I mentioned was undergoing 
changes. To reach the Castle itself we were obliged to as- 
cend a hill, which was very wearisome, particularly when 
contending with wind and rain. 

Going leisurely on, I heard the tramp of many feet, and 
on turning to see the meaning of this strange noise, saw a 
company of red-coated soldiers, headed by their captain, ac- 
tually running with military precision up the hill ; for this 
castle is used as a barracks. I understood that a petition 
has been sent to the Queen asking for a removal, as the place 
is so old that renovation is no longer possible, and on a day 
like this one was, danger is apprehended. We fled, not to 
the guard-house, like the soldiers, but to St. Margaret's 
Chapel for protection. It was a very small place, whose 
gorgeously-painted windows were a modern innovation ; but 
its history is a sad one. Margaret was the wife of Malcolm, 
who. with his son, David I., fell in battle, June 6, 1153, 
which so affected the loving woman that, four days after, 
she joined them in the grave. 

On the fortifications, or bomb-battery, rests the large piece 
of artillery called Mons Meg, cast at Mons, Flanders, in 1486, 
and made of malleable iron staves, like a cask. 

We then went into the low-ceilinged dining-room of the 
Castle, where hung two portraits of Mary Stuart, — one the 
copy of the celebrated Oxford picture, the other an original 
one, taken when Mary was Dauphiness of France, only eigh- 
teen years of age. " Mary's Flight from Lochlevin Castle" is 
represented by Schissi very artistically. Other family por- 
traits are on the walls. From that room we enter Queen 
Mary's bed-chamber, where James VI. of Scotland, who be- 
came the James I. of England, was born, June 19, 1566. 



SCOTLAND. 211 

It is very small, a mean apartment in whicli royalty drew its 
first breath. 

The room in the Armory is next visited, where the Scot- 
tish regalia is shown, consisting of crown, sceptre, and sword 
of state. These were accidentally discovered in an old oaken 
chest in the Castle, having lain for more than a century, not 
only having never been looked for, but considered lost. In 
1818 they were found, during the progress of repairs in the 
Castle, and are shown as relics of Scotia in her days of gran- 
deur. We left this almost ruined edifice, which will soon be 
only a site to which parents will point and say to their chil- 
dren, " There once stood the famous Castle of Edinburgh," 
and descended again to the antiquated town, from royal seats 
to muddy streets. We passed an old man playing the bag- 
pipes, but the vicinity of houses, I noticed, detracts from the 
melody, even in its native air. Even the Highland regi- 
ment which I saw in Paisley marching to their national 
musical instrument, did not awaken in my mind such phan- 
tasies as did the old piper " amang the hraes.^^ 

We now took a carriage for Holyrood, which stands at the 
foot of Arthur's Seat. The palace is four hundred and forty- 
three feet above the level of the sea, but looks sunken on a 
plain beneath the bold, precipitous clifis of Salisbury Crags, 
before which Arthur's Seat rears its head eight hundred and 
twenty-two feet above the sea-level. The weather was too 
unpropitious for us to take the Queen's Drive or make the 
ascent, which would have given us a panoramic view of Mid- 
Lothian, if it had been 'neath the sunshine, so we contented 
ourselves with the Palace and Abbey. The former is quad- 
rangular in shape, and the central court is ninety-four feet 
square. A portion dates back to 1528, the time of James 
y., and the remainder to the days of Charles I. His bed- 
chamber is shown to us, still furnished as it was when last he 
slept within it ; in fact, I believe the palace has not been 



212 WE FOUR. 

occupied at all since liis time. We entered first the gallery 
containing tlie portraits of tlie Scottish kings and queens 
unto the uniting of the kingdoms. Four curious paintings 
on glass are exhibited there. One represents the Trinity ; 
the second a bishop at his devotions, while an angel plays on 
an organ by his side ; the other two are scenes taken from 
Scottish history. The next room, hung with old tapestry, 
was once an audience-chamber. 

We now ascended the grand stairway, and were shown Lord 
Darnley's apartments. We stood at the window of his dress- 
ing-room and thought that his eyes had seen, as ours were 
doing now, the same line of hills, the same stretch of wood- 
lands, the same meadows, and probably oft the like mist 
hanging o'er all. These walls were hung with tapestry, rep- 
resenting hunting scenes, still fresh-looking, when one con- 
siders their age. A private stairway leads up to Queen 
Mary's rooms, and it was by means of this that Darnley led 
his adherents to the assassination of Kizzio. The little bou- 
doir in which he was stabbed led out from Mary's bedroom, 
and one could hardly imagine how eight persons, which his- 
tory says there were, could have sat down to supper, with 
attendants, in that contracted space. When attacked, Rizzio 
was dragged through the adjoining bedrooms out into the 
hall, into which another private stairway leads, and between 
it and the public staircase is shown the dark stain on the 
floor, where his life-blood oozed out, when he died after so 
many wounds. The silk tapestry in this boudoir has been 
framed to preserve it as long as its tattered condition will 
allow. The private altar-piece of the queen stands upon the 
hloch of marhle upon which she knelt in the Chapel Royal 
of Holyrood when married to Lord Darnley. The bed- 
chamber of the ill-fated queen is a room twenty-two f5et by 
eighteen and a half feet, and the panelled ceiling is adorned 
with the emblems and initials of the Scottish soverei2;ns. 



SCOTLAND. 213 

The ragged tapestry represents the " Fall of Phseton." The 
bed of Queen Mary is enclosed with a wire fence to prevent 
persons from aiding the devastation that three hundred years 
have already made. The hangings of crimson damask with 
green silk fringe and tassels are but faded remnants of rich- 
ness ; the blankets are still upon the bed, — that is, what once 
were blankets ; the chairs and tables are best preserved ; and 
on one table, at the foot of the bed, stands the queen's work- 
box, with a piece of her own needle-work still in it, repre- 
senting '-'■ JacoVs Dreamr The baby-basket of the young 
prince, presented to his mother by Queen Elizabeth before 
his birth, is on a stand near the foot of the bed. How little 
the Virgin Queen thought at that time of the cruel act that 
h'er hands would yet do ! The sad history of Mary Stuart has 
darkened many a fair site in Scotland. Holyrood was de- 
stroyed twice, — first by fire during the minority of Mary ; 
the second time by the marauders under Cromwell. 

The Abbey of Holyrood dates back to the time of David 
I., 1128, and was one of the wealthiest monasteries in Scot- 
land at that early date. All that remains of it is the ruined 
chapel, with its finely-sculptured east window, which saw the 
marriage of Lord Darnley and Mary, Queen of Scots, July 
29, 1565. In the southeast corner are the tombs of David 
II., James 11. , James V. and Magdalen, his wife ; Lord 
Darnley, and in this chapel also was Eizzio's tomb, the mur- 
derer and the murdered meeting the same violent death, and 
reposing in the same ground. 

We had dismissed our carriage, and, as the rain had abated, 
sauntered along to the station, where we intended to take the 
train for Roslyn Chapel, seven miles south of Edinburgh. 

The country in the vicinity of a large city is never prepos- 
sessing, but after we reached Hawthornden and walked up 
the glen, we cared very little about the dull ride as we ram- 
bled through this spot, which is the admiration of artists, 



214 WE FOUR. 

and the inspiration of poets. We passed cottages in wliose 
mimic gardens were growing the rarest flowers, whose beds 
formed as fine specimens of landscape-gardening as we saw 
in the Botanical Glardens on the Continent, and then we sud- 
denly came upon a romantic spot, so much like the wilds of 
our own dear land, that we stood entranced. The North Esk 
flows through a deep ravine, and the rocks are almost hidden 
by the trees and copsewood, and when the river is swollen by 
the rains, as it was to-day, " The Linn" roars its tempestuous 
way over the stones. 

Let me advise my readers, if they should make this trip, to 
proceed at once to the Chapel ; the guide will wish to show 
you the Castle, but it is money thrown away to enter its pre- 
cincts ; it is a deserted ruin, with deep, dark dungeons, where 
the ruthless noblemen confined their captives, and with broken 
windows, from which one can see this romantic valley, but 
that is all to be seen, and an outside view is suflScient. But 
go to the Chapel by all means ; it is pronounced by art -critics 
to be " unique^ 

It was founded by William, Earl of Orkney and Caithness, 
whose baronial residence was the Castle of Bosslyn, in 1446, 
and combines the solid Norman style with the easy grace of the 
Tudor. It was intended to be a cathedral, but never arrived 
at that dignity. The Chapel, as it is called, and in which 
service is held every Sabbath, only constitutes the choir of a 
larger edifice. There is a tradition which accounts for this 
failure : the design for the Cathedral was given to a cele- 
brated architect, who went to Rome, and remained there two 
years to study a carving for a pillar. He returned unsatisfied, 
and discovered that during his absence his apprentice had 
carved one representing a column with a vine of flowers 
twined around it. In his rage at being thus outdone by a 
boy he murdered the young sculptor, and in that chapel 
stands the one odd column among the others called " The 



SCOTLAND. 215 

'Prentice Pillar," a monument to genius and a reproach to 
jealousy. Among the mouldings which form this highly 
ornamental building are St. Christopher bearing the Infant 
Saviour, The Crucifixion, Martydom of St. Sebastian, and 
The Heavenly Host. The chancel is quite elaborate with 
sculpture, but the curse of " brother's blood" lingers over the 
Chapel, as it never grew into the lofty idea of the founder. 

AVe sauntered slowly through the village to the station, for, 
although the clouds were still lowering, we had escaped heavy 
showers, and discovered we had some time to wait for the 
train. A gentleman was waiting for the down train, and in- 
quired of us " if we had any idea of taking Roslyn Chapel 
to America with us." I opened my eyes wide with astonish- 
ment as I answered, " No, sir ; for what would we do with it?" 
but was more surprised at the merry burst of laughter my 
answer had encouraged. " That speech stamps you an Amer- 
ican. I have been over the water on business, and I find that 
the first thought of you, Americans, is profit. You do not 
preserve places of interest as we do." A little nettled, I 
replied, " But you keep them for profit. Just think, it cost us 
a shilling and sixpence apiece to look around at a place which 
only takes a few moments to see, when we can visit a gallery 
of fine paintings for only the shilling. I consider your fees 
of admission perfect extortion." What the result of our dis- 
cussion would have been, we know not, for, fortunately for 
one of us, our train came, and we left our arguer and a blue- 
skirted fish-woman, sole occupants of the little, waiting-room, 
and we returned to Edinburgh. 

Sunday morning, August 25. — We were in Scotland, the 
land of the Covenanters ; we were in Edinburgh, the home 
of the reformers and John Knox in particular, so we con- 
cluded to be Presbyterian to-day. We had been advised to 
attend St. Cuthbert's, at the end of Prince's Street, as a 
famous preacher, Pr. McGregory, drew a large congregation 



216 WE FOUR. 

there. I wanted to see and hear George Macdonald, but he 
was not in town at that time, so on this lovely Sabbath-day, 
after so much rain to make it more beautiful, we went with 
many richly-dressed people along Prince's Street to St. Cuth- 
bert's. Why they called that old-fashioned, high-backed-pew 
edifice, where they sung doleful hymns in doleful fashion, St. 
Cuthbert's I do not know. 

We learned from the sexton that Dr. McGlregory would 
not preach this morning, but the Rev. Mr. Hastings ; but as 
we did not know whether we could do any better elsewhere, 
we remained. His text was the 15th verse of the 13th 
chapter of St. John's gospel : " For I have given you an ex- 
ample, that ye should do as I have done to you." Quite a 
long list of banns of matrimony was read, some the second 
and some the third time of asking, which took quite a while to 
read, and to which nobody seemed to pay any attention but 
our party from " away over the water." To reach the church 
we passed through the church-yard, which gave a rural aspect 
to the Sabbath surroundings. 

In the pleasant part of the afternoon, as we thought it was, 
we started for a walk to the picturesque old town ; but alack, 
for Scotland's pleasant days ! we had only reached High 
Street, when down came a heavy shower of rain. Darting 
into the nearest court-yard or entresol, as the French would 
say, for these dwellers in cities live in flats as the Parisians 
do, we waited for the storm to pass. We had one advantage 
in being opposite the quaint dwellings, in one of which John 
Knox resided, so we could study the designs of former cen- 
turies. 

" Which is John Knox's house ?" asked Erato of a woman 
who had sought shelter as we did from the sudden shower. 

" That one where the man is praying." 

Erato gazed earnestly, and then said, " I do not see which 
one ; tell me again." 



SCOTLAND. 217 

" That one over there where he is praying." 

''Who, John Knox?" 

" Yes ; that tall house where John Knox is praying." 

" Indeed, my good woman," answered Erato, " I cannot 
see which one you mean." 

The woman went to the pavement, for the rain was dimin- 
ishing in quantity, and, pointing with her rugged finger across 
the way, said, in the most impatient tone, — 

" Can't you see that figger kneeling on the porch of that 
furthest house, — that wooden figger with clasped hands ?" 

" Why did you not tell me that before ?" Erato replied, 
as if she, too, was angry. " You kept saying it was John 
Knox that was praying, and I was looking for him, not for a 
figure of wood." 

The woman did not appreciate the joke, but went away, 
pitying the poor girl for her " incorrigible stupidity." We 
had passed criticisms before on the representation of the de- 
vout man at the end of the second-story porch of this won- 
drously gabled mansion, and had concluded that a house so 
designated must have been the home of the great reformer. 

We were obliged to forego a longer walk on account of 
the rain, and, as we had planned rising very early in the 
morning to be able to finish the tour of the Trossachs in one 
day, we concluded that " early to bed" would be the best 
preparation for " early to rise." 

Our train would leave the station at six and a quarter o'clock, 
and the one in which the Queen was going to Balmoral would 
reach Edinburgh about eleven o'clock, and it occasioned some 
surprise that we did not wait to see her. But we understood 
that Her Majesty would not stop any time, and there was but 
an infinitesimal hope that we would obtain a glance through 
the windows of a train-carriage, so we felt that time would 
be lost in waiting, and we had so much before us to do. 

We were told, and we remember reading in the papers, 
K • 19 . 



218 WE FOUR. 

that on the erection of the memorial to Prince Albert in Ed- 
inburgh the bishop remonstrated with the Queen, because a 
text from the Apocrypha was engraved upon it instead of 
one from the Bible, so full of inspired words. To his re- 
marks she took offence, and refuses to visit Edinburgh while 
that city is under the bishop's ministration. So the story 
goes ; whether this was the cause, or in consequence of a 
strong demonstration in her honor to be given at Dunkirk, 
that the Queen did not remain longer in Edinburgh, is still 
a question. 

We were, however, well on our journey by the hour she 
arrived. Our first stopping-place was Stirling, two hours' 
ride from Edinburgh. The purport of our stopping here was 
to visit the Castle, from which such a fine view can be had 
of the surrounding country and the windings of the Eiyer 
Forth and the silver thread of the distant Doune ; but before 
we reached Stirling our minds were in an appreciative mood, 
for we passed Linlithgow, where Queen Mary was born, and 
whose history is founded on that of the Jameses of Scotland. 
We then came to a ruined castle, which we learned had once 
been Niddry in its grandeur, and, while we gazed over the 
broad fields of Bannockburn, we thought of the one that had 
been commemorated by poets and historians, where the famous 
battle of 1314 was fought. 

Descending from historical reminiscences to what is more 
profitable, but also matter of fact, we saw Falkirk, noted for 
iron-works and its cattle-market. We walked three-quarters 
of a mile in a gradual ascent up to the Castle, which stands 
on a precipitous rock two hundred and twenty feet high. 
Here we crossed the draw-bridge, and under the overport 
battery to the massive gateway, with its portcullis ; but be- 
fore we took the tour of the place we asked some children, 
who had followed us with their satchels in their hands and with 
gaping eyes fixed upon us, " where their school was situated." 



SCOTLAND. 219 

" In that room^'' was the answer, pointing to a turret- window 
of the castle. " Who is your teacher .^" was the next query. 
'•'•There he is," said one bright little boy, and we turned to 
meet the laughing eyes of a handsome young soldier. 

We were very glad to find some one who had something to 
do among those garrisoned troops, for it appeared to us that they 
led a very idle life. Several of the men were playing billiards, 
but not with the energy that characterizes those who practice 
for exercise ; this was only for a passing amusement. An officer 
was giving lessons in light gymnastics to a set of youths, pre- 
paratory, I suppose, to military drill. We took the famous 
Edmondston Walk, so named after the gentleman who con- 
structed it, and through the castle-garden, viewing from the 
ramparts the Campsie Hills at the south, the Ochil Hills 
at the north and east, and the Highlands in the west. We 
saw the Abbey Craig, the ruins of Cambuskenneth Abbey, 
and, as I mentioned at first, the sparkling Forth, through 
the " fertile Carse of Stirling." At the north of the Castle 
we noticed a mound, hardly attaining the dignity of a hill, 
upon which four men were beheaded in 1424 by James I.'s 
order, within sight of their own castle. They were the Earl 
of Lennox, the Duke of Albany, and his two sons, Walter 
and Alexander Stuart. 

The palace built by James Y. occupies the southeast part 
of the fortress ; but only one room is thrown open to vis- 
itors, and that is the Douglas room, in which took place, 
in 1451, the dastardly murder of William, Earl Douglas, 
whom James II., after granting him a safe-conduct, stabbed, 
with his own hands, and threw his body from the window 
into the moat below. I looked around for the traditionary 
spot of blood, but failed to discover it. However, a secret 
chamber was disclosed to me, opening out of the larger apart- 
ment by a door, and all that was mysterious was a deep closet, 
but it was empty. By what contrivance it was rendered a 



220 WE FOUR. 

secret — for to me it was the most tangible of doors by which 
to enter — I could not learn from the stammering boy, who, 
with a table before him of fancy articles, was doing his best 
with stuttering tongue to praise his relics. An excellent 
plan was adopted here of charging admission unless you pur- 
chased something ; as you generally chose the latter alterna- 
tive, the consequence is that one will contribute a pound, 
where otherwise it would only be a sixpence. In the large 
apartment we saw John Knox's pulpit, a very dilapidated 
affair, and his communion-table ; an old drum connected with 
the history of Colonel Fairfax ; the Douglas sword and battle- 
axe ; and many other relics of perilous times in Scotland. 
Leaving the Castle, we passed what had formerly been a pal- 
ace, I think, built in 1652, but now used as a hospital, called 
Cowan's Hospital. A soldier on guard could tell us nothing 
more about it, or Stirling either, as he was an Irishman, and 
a home-sick look came into his brown face as he spoke of his 
native land. 

The Grayfriars', or Franciscan Church, although built in 
1494, is of such handsome Gothic finish that it appears more 
modern. By it, is the cemetery, whose principal attraction is 
the pure white marble monument to the memory of Mar- 
garet and Agnes Wilson, who were tied to a stake in Solway 
Frith till " the tide came in,'^ and they were drowned for re- 
fusing to abjure their Protestant faith. The sisters are repre- 
sented as clinging to each other, while their guardian angel 
stands behind them with a glance of pity, and yet of triumph, 
on his divine face. The monument is covered with glass to 
protect its purity from the changeable climate of Scotland. 
Beneath the statues are the lines that I have here transcribed : 

" Love many waters cannot quencli ; God saves 
His chaste, impearled Ones in covenant true. 
Scotia's daughters, earnest scan the page 
And prize this Flower of Grace, blood-bought for you.'* 



SCOTLAND. 221 

Another monument of like interest is of Scottish granite, 
upon whose rugged, rock-like surface are an open Bible and 
cross of white marble. This is the record of the Covenanters. 

A curious epitaph attracted our attention, to the memory 
of Alexander Miffin, Chief Constable of Stirlingshire, who 
died in 1807. 

" Our life is but a winter's day, 
Some breakfast and away, 
Others to dinner stay 
And are full fed. 
The oldest man but sups 
And goes to bed. 
Large is his debt 
Who lingers out the day ; 
He who goes soonest 
Has the least to pay." 

There were other memorials of distinguished men, whose 
graves we had not time to note, and, passing with but a 
parting glance the ruined chapel at the entrance, and giving 
a few moments to the Argyle's Lodging, with the sculptured 
arms over the door of Sir William Alexander, the first Earl 
of Stirling, we hastened to meet the train. When we think 
of the time in which Scotland's sovereigns occupied the pal- 
ace ; when coronations took place in the Grrayfriars' ; when 
the nobility resided in the villas around, we feel like saying, 
"Ichabod! Ichabod !" 

Sixteen miles more of railway, passing the Abbey Craig 
and Wallace's conspicuous monument, resembling a shot- 
tower more than any other memorial, the romantic Bridge 
of Allan, a summer-resort for dwellers in cities, the fine Ca- 
thedral of Dunblane, and the picturesque ruins of the Doune, 
we arrive at Callender, a small village at the foot of the hills. 
At the house of the Macgregors we took the stage-coach for 
the Trossachs. Imagine us now in the rear of some half 
a dozen coaches, we four perched majestically up on the 

back seat, with a merry crowd in front of English and Irish 

19* 



222 WE FOUR. 

gentlemen, who liad been spending their vacation from busi- 
ness among the Highlands. Our first route is by elegant vil- 
las, where croquet-parties on the lawns stop their games to 
look after the Hue of coaches. We cross the Leny and Teith 
Rivers and see Lochs Yernacher and Achray on our left as 
we approach the wilder region and leave the civilized country 
residences behind us. We are now on hallowed ground, 
hallowed only by the imagination of Sir Walter Scott. We 
see Coilantogle Ford, where Fitz James and Roderick Dhu 
met in combat. We saw Lanrick Mead, Clan Alpine's mus- 
tering-place. We cross by the Bridge of Turk another 
stream, which solitary skirts the vale of Grlenfinlas. We stop 
here at the hotel of Ardcheanochrochan, and in consequence 
of filling on^'s mouth with the name, we did not take dinner 
here. If the party who occupy it would shorten the name and 
the price of dinner, the decrease would be largely in their favor. 

The Trossachs, or hristled territory, is a wild defile 
between the lofty peak of Benvenue, two thousand eight 
hundred and eighty-two feet in height, and the smaller one 
of Ben A'an. Here, in the centre of this weird gorge, we 
feel as if we were but the minor pulse-beats in the great heart 
of nature, for these are the pulsations of ages, we are of the 
present only. Romance tells us that in the defile of Bealacli- 
an-anduine " Fitz James lost his gallant gray." History tells 
us of the persecuted ones who fled for refuge to the rugged 
fastnesses of their own mountains. Suddenly, as we round a 
clifi", the sweet Loch Katrine bursts upon us. Nestled in 
among the picturesque scenery of the Trossachs, with its own 
wooded islet in the centre, it forms a picture on which artists 
have loved to dilate. History again comes forward and tells us 
that " Ellen's Isle" was used by the Highlanders to secrete their 
families and eff"ects from the ravages of Cromwell's soldiers. 

In the " Pass of the Man" a skirmish ensued, and the 
English, in revenge for their slain, resolved to attack the 



SCOTLAND. 223 

island. But tliey liad no boats ; so one daring fellow offered 
to swim across and seize a skiff. He was endeavoring to un- 
fasten the rope, when Helen Stuart leaned over the rock, and, 
with a firm stroke and a sharp sword, severed the intruder's 
head from his shoulders. The loss of their able ally stunned 
the Englishmen, and the Highland women and children re- 
mained upon the island unmolested. In the " Lady of the 
Lake" a similar island is described as the residence of Doug- 
las. Several years ago Lady Willoughby D'Eresby erected a 
cottage on the island, but it was accidentally burned down, 
and since then it has been left solitary to the naiads and 
dryads of legendary lore. 

Before we took the steamer for our excursion across C 
Loch Katrine, we saw the locality of Bob Boy's greatest 
adventures. It seemed, to cross this charming water, as if 
we were drifting into fairy-land, so perfect was the scenery 
around us ; but the nineteenth-century hotel and coaches 
at Stronachlacher woke us from our dream of enchant- 
ment. Now through Grlen Arklet, not so wild and .pic- 
turesque as the Trossachs, but with a rustic beauty of its 
own. Our goal was Inversnaid, where we would take the 
steamboat on Loch Lomond. We passed a ruined fort that 
was built in 1*713 to check the advance of the Macgregors. 
This, too, was the home of the gallant General Wolfe, whose 
Scotch blood was spilled on America's soil. A silvery cataract 
gurgled over the rocks and sent its merry waters into the 
fair bosom of Loch Lomond. This latter lake is twenty-three 
miles in length, — thirteen more than the length of Loch Ka- 
trine ; its breadth is five miles, — exceeding the latter by three ; 
but it lacks the beauty of the smaller lake. Thirty islands 
are scattered over its surface, ten being of considerable size. 
Its depth varies, being twenty fathoms in the southern part, 
while in the northern it ranges from sixty to one hundred 
fathoms, and never freezes where it is deepest. We did not 



224 WE FOUR. 

enjoy this ride as mucli as upon Loch Katrine in coiiSe- 
quence of a disagreeable wind, that rose upon the water and 
seized us in damp clutches. Several residences belonging to 
the nobility were pointed out to us on the banks of the lake, 
the most unpretending of which is the Buchanan House, be- 
longing; to the Duke of Montrose. He owns the coach-road 
through the Trossachs, and a formal request must be made to 
him every summer to allow the diligences to pass through 
his gates. A gentleman told me he was once making a pe- 
destrian tour through the Highlands, and climbed a fence 
into one of the duke's fields. An old woman, bent with 
work and furrowed by time, came towards him and told him 
he should come through the gate. " But," he replied, " the 
gate is not open, and I am over now." But she insisted that 
he should return to the road, and allow her to open the large, 
heavy gate, that he might pass through under the recognized 
consent of the Duke of Montrose. The whole affair was 
perfectly ludicrous to him, but as he was not pressed for time 
he acceded to the old retainer's request, and was formally 
entered on the duke's property. The steamer went up to In- 
vernain Pier to unload passengers for Grlencoe, whose glens 
and mountainous passes have a terrible history of their own ; 
and here the loch was narrowed by the mountains of Glen- 
falloch, that throw the reflection of their rugged outlines on 
the calm water. Coming down the lake again, we stop at 
Tarbet, from which we have an exhilarating view of Ben 
Lomond, that rears its head three thousand one hundred 
and ninety-two feet above the level of the sea. ClimhisU 
start from the Bowardennan Hotel to make the ascent, which 
is six miles up, and it is said, a most extensive view can be 
had from its summit. 

Passing the various islands, we see to the south of Inch 
Tavanagh the ruins of Galbraith Castle, starting up from the 
water like the towers of the mermaid's halls. Our steam- 



SCOTLAND. 225 

boat stops at Balmaha, at tlie northeast part of Inch Cciilliach 
(tlie island of women), a nunnery having once stood there. 
Its chapel was for some time used as a place of worship, but 
is now fallen into decay ; its churdh-yard remains, however, as 
the place of sepulture for the neighboring clans, particularly 
the Lairds of Macgregor and those who claim descent from 
King Alpine. Sir Walter Scott memorializes it in " Lady of 
the Lake," Canto III., thus : 

"The shaft and limbs were rods of yew, 
Whose parents in Inch Cailliach wave 
Their shadows o'er Clan Alpine's grave. 
And, answering Lomond's breezes deep. 
Soothe many a chieftain's endless sleep." 

We saw the little island of Clar-inch, from which the Bu- 
chanans took their slogan, and then, after viewing the ruins 
of the Lennox Castle, landed at Balloch's Pier. Here we 
took the train for Glasgow, and my strongest reminiscence of 
the journey is Dumbarton Bock, rising suddenly five hundred 
and sixty feet at the junction of the Leven and Clyde. It is 
a mile in circumference, and terminates in two peaks. At 
the mouth of the Levan is the ancient town of Dumbarton, 
just behind the castle rock. 

Arriving at Grlasgow, we went at once to Cranston's Tem- 
perance Hotel, to which we had been directed while at Edin- 
burgh ; but we could not be accommodated there, and were 
sent to the Washington Hotel, another temperance house, 
under the management of the same family, but located in Sau- 
chiehall Street. We liked to sleep and eat under the foster- 
ing care of Washington, and whether it was the name or not, 
— for Shakspeare deprecates a mere title, — we were much 
pleased with our accommodations there. Our room was front, 
and overlooked a very handsome dry-goods store, which af- 
forded us attraction while we were obliged to remain in-doors 
on account of rain. 



226 WE FOUR. 

Glasgow is situated on what tourists liave said to be the* 
finest river with the grandest views in the world, — the Clyde ; 
but we look back on that week we spent in the city with re- 
gret, on account of the persistent showers that, while a bene- 
fit to the earth, marred our pleasure. 

We went one day to visit Paisley, seven miles below Grlas- 
gow, quite a manufacturing town, as Grlasgow is, and will, in 
course of time, be engrafted into the larger city. Having 
letters of introduction to the best families of the place, we 
had a delightful ride under the escort of Bailie Fisher to 
Glenifer Braes. This gentleman resided in one of the sub- 
urban villas that relieve the business look of the town, for 
dirty and smoky as Paisley was with its varied manufactures, 
it is surrounded by the loveliest of landscapes, and when we 
reached the summit of the hill we were enchanted by the 
view before us. The vale of Glenifer at our feet ; the spires 
and domes of the two cities against the dark background of 
an autumnal sky ; the ruins of Stanley Castle rising from the 
green island in the midst of a small lake, another reminder 
of Mary Stuart's history, — all were spread before us in that 
misty haze that throws a saddened glamour over all. This 
was a favorite walk of Hugh Macdonald's ; sometimes at 
break of day, sometimes in the gloaming, the peasant would 
see him, drinking in inspiration from the scene around. He 
also drank the limpid water from a spring, of which his ad- 
mirers have made a stone fountain ; upon it, is carved his bust 
and a few lines from his poem, dedicated to that spot : 

" The bonnie wee well on the breist o' the brae, 
Where the hare steals to drink in the gloamin so gray, 
Where the wild moorlan birds dip their nebs and take wing, 
And the lark wheets his whistle ere mounting to sing." 

We saw in our drive the low, thatched cottage where Alex- 
ander Wilson, the ornithologist, lived and worked at weaving. 
A monument is erected to his memory in Paisley, for his 



SCOTLAND. 227 

remains liein the graveyard of the Old Swedes' Church, in 
Philadelphia. And farther on the more pretentious Elderslie 
Mansion, where Sir William Wallace opened his eyes on his 
troubled life. A storm had dislodged the old oak-tree in the 
hollow of which he had hid from his enemies, the English, 
so we could only remember that spot was once its site. The 
most extensive manufactures are those of Coats's spool-cotton, 
and the cottage in which Sir Peter Coats was born and the 
handsome residence that he calls his own now, were pointed 
out to us. Here is an example of industry and probity amass- 
ing wealth. 

We stopped at a low, long building, called the Peesweep 
Inn, a favorite resort for the gentlemen of Paisley. The 
floor was of stone, and every day a new design was chalked 
upon its well-worn surface. The tables and benches were as 
white as soap and sand could make them, but so cut and 
notched with initials that it was with difficulty we could find 
places to engrave ours. 

The next day we visited Ayr, two hours' ride below Glas- 
gow, on the sea-coast, and we had an advantage over the pre- 
vious morning's trip in not having any rain all day. The 
scenery was varied on our route, — towns, farm-houses, fac- 
tories, woods, and hills passed each other in panoramic succes- 
sion, until we reached this pretty town, renowned as being 
the birthplace of Robert Burns. Arriving at the station, 
we' engaged a wagonette to take us to the revered spots, two 
miles from the town, near the Doon. 

Another long, one-story stone cottage appeared in view, 
as we had seen along the track of the railway, and our 
wagoneer stopped and welcomed us to Burns's cottage. A 
wing had been added to the house, in which to hold the cen- 
tennial anniversary of the poet's birth, January 25, 1759. 
This large apartment was hung with pictures of the bard, 
engravings from his works, and eulogies and criticisms. But 



iy JJ 
228 CP TF^ FOUR. 

among tliem we saw soldiers' certificates from the United 
States, — one admitting a certain man named Morley as a private 

'^ into the volunteer corps, which did active service during the 
late Rebellion ; then he became corporal, second lieutenant, 
first lieutenant, and finally a captain in the 113th Eegiment 
of Pennsylvania Yolunteers. We could not understand this 
until we went into another room, where, in a glass case, were 
some fancy articles commemorative of the cottage and of 

• ' Burns, and to the fine-looking man who waited upon us, we 
put the question, '' Are you Captain Morley of the 113th ?" 
He answered, " Jes," and seemed glad that we were from 
Philadelphia, and would have detained us longer to talk of 
the terrible times he had seen in America ; but our coachman 
was becoming restless, so we mounted our chariot again and 
proceeded to the monument. In the little time we were in 
the cottage, we saw the old-fashioned bedstead, the deep fire- 
place, the corner cupboard, with its quaint china, the old clock, 
t;and learned that Captain Morley was a descendant of Burns, 
and so came into possession of the homestead. The poet 
died, however, at Dumfries, where a handsome monument is 

\ placed over his remains ; but this locality makes one appre- 
ciate his genius, for it glows with his life. 

We passed Alloway Kirk, in whose church-yard, with its 
ancient graves and the ruined chapel, with its older tombs, was 
walking a centenarian, who told to the traveller wondrous le- 
gends of the buried there. The monument is a Grecian temple 
standing on a terrace, and what appears to be the foundation 
of stone and would-be vaults, are rooms ; in one are the figures 
of Souter Johnny and Tarn O'Slianter, seated each with his 
tankard of beer in his hand. In the other are exposed for 
sale, relics of the place, as we had seen at the cottage. It 
was a beautiful morning, and the " banks and braes o' bonny 
Doon" looked very fair in the autumn light, and our feelings 
were in accordance with the sunglow, — bright and happy. 



SCOTLAND. 229 

We passed the well-stocked park and palatial villa of Colonel 
Hamilton, of tlie Fusileers, and, returning to Ayr, took a 
good look at the old inn, whose attractions marred the genius 
of Burns. Over the door was a weather-beaten painting of 
Tam O'Shanter's memorable ride. Another Wallace's Tower 
stood in Hio;h Street. This was one hundred and thirteen 
feet in height, with a statue of the bravest of Scottish chiefs 
surmounting it. Having procured ourselves a slight lunch, 
we walked to the shore, passing through Wellington Square, 
adorned with statues of the duke. Near the square was a 
handsome fountain, erected by a wealthy Scotchman and pre- 
sented to the town. We enjoyed the beach, gathering shells 
and limpid stones, and thinking of the " other side" of that 
vast water that was stretching before us. A few bathers were 
sporting in the waves, but we were more interested in two men 
who were each teaching a horse, circus tricks. One succeeded, 
while we lingered there, in making his horse gallop in a com- 
plete circle without swerving, but the other failed, and was 
obliged to discontinue his lessons for the present ; whether 
the fault lay with the teacher, or whether one pupil was more 
docile than the other, I could not determine. Tired, we took 
the train back to Glasgow ; but only physically tired. We 
had had, as it were, a pleasant picnic, and were refreshed 
mentally for our communion with mother Nature. For the 
first time since we started together, June 18, we were going to 
separate. Erato, in consequence of former experiences of sea- 
sickness, and not feeling well enough to bear another Channel 
trip, had decided to omit the Irish tour and join her friends 
on their return at Manchester, England. 

We will now give Erato's account of what she saw alone, 
and in another part the experiences of the trio in Ireland, as 
on Friday evening, August 30, we three took the steamer 
from Glasgow to Belfast. 

20 



230 WE FOUR. 



ERATO'S STORY. 



Being a great reader and an analyzer of tlie cliaracters 
which were brought before me in books, I have been much 
impressed with the effect that certain contingencies might 
excite, and I have wondered among others how a person 
must feel " to be a stranger in a strange land," and here was 
I, away, with an ocean between my family and myself, and 
the Irish Sea between me and my dear friends. I could not 
help, on waking Saturday morning and looking around my 
deserted room, to wish that I had had perseverance enough 
to have accompanied them. The days before me looked 
dreary without my sister-travellers, for the kind friends I had 
made here were not like those of the past. But enough 
moralizing, let me describe the passing days. The rain which 
had annoyed us for three days had ceased its ministrations, 
and my friends had a fine passage after all our fears ; so in 
the clear sunlight and through the muddy streets of Griasgow 
I wandered on Saturday morning. I made two calls, and felt 
myself initiated into the warm-hearted home-life of the Scotch 
people. But my heart was sickened at the misery among the 
lower classes, — drunkenness and debauchery were prevalent, 
and, as a natural result, beggary was a common scene. I was 
accosted by one woman for alms with five children hanging 
to her skirts and one at her breast, drawing whiskey-tainted 
nourishment to poison its early life. Her plea was her six 
children. And this was the career she was bringing those 
little ones into, — heggars — thieves. 

This was in the purlieus of the city, and across from the 
way where I met her were some cheap shows going on, of 
what nature, altogether, I could not determine, — giants and 
dwarfs and fat women were staple articles on these vacant lot 
shows. Punch and Judy, that used to please my childish 
fancy in my English story-books, seem to have lost none of 



SCOTLAND. ' 231 

their relisli to tlie children in Grreat Britain. Why should I 
say children ? for those of larger growth form the majority of 
the crowd that gather round the itinerant showman and hear 
the woes of Punch graphically described. 

We missed, too, on arriving at Grreat Britain, the appearance 
of cleanliness that charmed us on the French shore. The 
dinginess of the houses from the smoky atmosphere is aug- 
mented by the dirt in which the common people live, — women 
standing at their doors, with matted hair, unshod feet, and 
dirty gowns, — certainly not for want of time to clean as from 
want of inclination, as time seems to be the greatest treasure 
they possess, and they certainly do not put it out to interest. 

One young lady asked me one day the question, " How do 
you, American girls, find time for all that you do ? I know 
you accomplish a good deal, not alone from what I have heard 
as from what I have read in papers, and from what I have 
seen in accomplishments and work." 

I thought a while, and then answered, " For one thing, we 
rise earlier and so have a longer day ; another reason is, you 
have two more regular meals than we have, and therefore, too 
much time is absorbed in eating." 

" Fancy !" she replied, which amused me not a little, as I 
had been quizzed for using " I guess," as it was declared an 
Americanism without meaning. I replied that I thought I 
could explain it, better to them than they could " Fancy" to 
me ; but the logical Scotch mind demonstrated it, so we agreed 
to cling to our own idioms, and not interfere with those of 
other nations. 

In my walks, I had been impressed with the number of 
blind people I saw about the city, and among the handsome 
institutions at the West End, the Blind Asylum is conspicu- 
ous ; on going to the Cathedral on Sunday, which stands at 
the east end of High Street, in the old town, I saw another 
Blind asylum. I read in the papers since my return of a 



232 ' WE FOUR. 

Scotchman leaving in his will liberal bequests to the different 
blind asylums around his native city, so it must be a malady 
indigenous to the climate that awakens such an interest. 

There is a lovely park in the West End, but the rain and 
its concomitant dampness prevented me from enjoying it. 
On Gilmore Hill, in the same vicinity, is a magnificent build- 
ing, the design of Mr. Gilbert Scott, to be the New College. 
Hunter's Museum and the Andersonian Museum contain 
quite unique collections, similar to the British Museum in 
London. The Royal Exchange, built in 1829, in Queen 
Street, was considered the handsomest building until the 
New College eclipsed it. In front of it stands an equestrian 
statue of the Duke of Wellington, in bronze. I had purposed 
visiting the Cathedral on Sunday morning, and mentioned 
the fact at the dinner-table of the hotel the day before. A 
gentleman opposite me, looking significantly at the gold cross 
which hung from my necklace, said, — 

" Miss, the Cathedral is not a Catholic church, the service 
is the Established one." 

I knew he meant what I call Presbyterian, but there the 
one creed seems to have several forms, and, as the city had 
restored the Cathedral, it had the privilege of locating its 
own form of worship there, so I only answered, " That I 
had been informed so," and the subject was dropped. To 
reach the sacred edifice, I walked through the oldest and, 
what is generally the case in a large city, the least respectable 
portion, passing the Almshouse on my way, also, a large 
granite church with a placard, no, a sign-board, like a theatre, 
by the door, with this inscription, — 

" This is the church for the working-man, — come one and 
all in your every-day clothes, and be not ashamed." 

I also passed a drinking fountain, on whose stone front I 
read, that behind it were placed the bones of two martyrs, 
who were executed for their principles at St. Andrew's. 



SCOTLAND. 233 

The Cathedral of Glasgow was built in 1123, during the 
reign of David I., by Bishop John Achaius, and dedicated 
to St. Mungo ; but the history of it clings around 1638, 
when, in November, the celebrated G-eneral Assembly was 
held which abolished all forms of Episcopacy. 

I entered first the crypt, which Sir Walter Scott tells us in 
his novel of Rob Roy, was used as a place of worship until 
1805, and passed from there into the nave of what constitutes 
the present Cathedral, and where the public service is now 
held. The choir is over the crypt, which latter contains some 
very old tombs of the warriors and dignitaries of Glasgow, 
the reading of whose epitaphs interested me very much until 
the sexton warned me that service would soon begin. The 
sermon was preached by the Rev. Mr. Brownlie, and the 
text was Psalm iv. 6th verse : " There be many that say. 
Who will show us any good ? Lord, lift thou up the light 
of thy countenance upon us." It was very impressive, and 
with the deep tones of the organ mingled the voices of the 
congregation in the grand old hymns whose echoing sounds 
will never die, making a thrilling service in the fretted vaults 
of that old Cathedral. Its chief beauty is the stained glass 
of its windows, executed at the royal establishment of glass- 
painting at Munich. A very large window is in each tran- 
sept, and below it are two couplets of smaller proportions ; 
there are three large ones in each gable, and the figures on 
them are life-size ; a catalogue describing the windows is sold 
there, but as it was Sunday I could not procure one. The 
chapter-house extends from the northeast angle of the build- 
ing into the venerable graveyard, around which I meandered 
and mused as Gray did upon the varied lives of those who 
had now laid themselves down and their works to rest. 

Across the street was another place of worship of more 
modern style ; it was the parish church, and two gentlemen 
were very earnest, as I walked up the broad path to the Ca- 

20* 



234 WE FOUR. 

thedral, in endeavoring to induce me to attend service over 
the way. I told them I loved the liturgy of the Church of 
England, but I was not so prejudiced in its favor but that I 
could worship anywhere, and it happened to be curiosity that 
took me to the Cathedral, for I have a weakness for old build- 
ings, so much so that my trio friends would amuse themselves 
by pointing to lonely chimneys or burned factories and telling 
me they were ancient towers or ruined abbeys if I only knew 
their history. The tower and heavenward spire of two hun- 
dred and twenty-five feet rise from the centre of the Cathe- 
dral, but as the edifice stands low, the real height is not as 
perceptible as if it towered from one angle. 

My next destination was the Necropolis, whose lofty 
monuments I could see in the moonlight so far above me, 
as the spirits of those who lay beneath them, were. Cross- 
ing a beautiful stone bridge, an endowment from the mer- 
chants of Glasgow to the cemetery company, I was among 
the homes in the " city of the dead." It is arranged in ter- 
races, and from its summit one can trace the windings of the 
Clyde, the fields of shipping at its mouth, and the busy mart 
of Glasgow lying quiet now beneath the Sabbath sun, the 
dead holding the heights above the living. The central fea- 
ture of the Necropolis is the lofty column erected to the 
memory of the Scottish reformers. The first martyr to the 
Protestant cause was a youth of rank, Sir Patrick Hamilton, 
only nineteen years of age, who was burned at the stake at 
St. Andrew's in 1524. Very near this column was a fine 
granite monument to the memory of John Henry Alexander, 
an actor, who died in 1857, aged fifty-five years. His epitaph 
was so appropriate — a rare thing in epitaphs — that I will copy 
it here : 

"TO JOHN HENRY ALEXANDER. 

" Fallen is the curtain, — the last scene is o'er, 
The favorite actor treads life's stag-e no more. 



SCOTLAND. 235 

Oft lavish plaudits from tlie crowd lie drew, 

And laughing eyes confessed his humor true. 

Here fond aflfection rears this sculptured stone, 

For Virtues, not enacted, but his own. 

A constancy unshaken unto death, 

A truth unswerving and a Christian's faith. 

Who knew him best have cause to mourn him most. 

Oh ! weep the man, more than the actor lost. 

Unnumbered parts he played, yet to the end 

His best were those of Husband, Father, Friend." 

I saw the grave of William Miller, whose verses live in 
tte hearts of children, for he was the Poet-Laureate of the 
Nursery, and is best remembered as the author of " Wee 
Willie Winhiey I read the names on tombs of Dr. Dick 
and Dr. Macfarlane, and others of like celebrity ; and the good 
taste which was displayed in the selection and arrangement 
of stones, the laying out of lots, the choice of flowers, and, 
above all, the shade of the church-yard English yew, con- 
trasted strongly with the tawdry ornamentation of Pere La 
Chaise. A very handsome white monument, quite new, was 
erected to the memory of a youth of eighteen years, who 
started away from home, full of health and spirits, on a 
pleasure-excursion, to be carried back to his mother, for he 
was her only son, a corpse, drowned in the Clyde ! At the 
foot of the hill a small enclosure marked the unadorned 
graves of the Jewish citizens. My closing worship for the 
day was in St. Jude's Church, and its plain glass windows 
and substantial galleries jarred on my aesthetic feelings, so 
highly developed in the antique cathedrals and cloistered 
abbeys. It was an English church, and the service was con- 
ducted by the Rev. Mr. Bennett, who preached a sermon from 
Revelation, 4th chapter, 1st verse : " Come up hither, and I 
will show thee things that must be hereafter." 

I am afraid that my long walk in the morning prevented 
me from appreciating properly the strong apocalyptical ad- 



236 ^ WE FOUR. 

dress, which was one of a series on the prophecies, given to 
us that evening. Feeling tired and warm, I fanned myself 
vigorously, and noticed that the lady in the same pew gave 
me some searching glances. I offered her my fan, but the 
favor was refused. I forgot the incident until a very intelli- 
gent Scotch lady, who was remarking upon the peculiarities 
of nations, said, — 

" And you fan in church, too, I understand." 

" Do you not fan if you feel the heat ?" I inquired. 

" Why, no ; it is not etiquette here." 

I told her of my Sunday evening's experience at St. 
Jude's, at which she laughed heartily, and said it was a 
wonder the persons around me did not suggest to me the 
improjDriety. 

" If they had," I replied, " I should have gone out. I am 
more than ever thankful that my lot has been cast in a free 
country, where one can fan." 

Monday morning, I took the train again for Paisley, and 
arrived at my friends' house just as they were starting for a 
Congregational meeting, in regard to the election of a pastor, 
that was to be held in the Abbey. This picturesque build- 
ing, of which part is in ruins, and lets the sunlight in on 
grass-covered floor from broken windows and gaping roof, 
was founded in 1163 by Walter, son of Alan, the first of the 
house of Stuarts. 

Paisley lies in the Barony of Renfrew, the portion in Scot- 
land assigned to the Prince of Wales, and the only estate 
remaining in the name of Stuart. The Abbey is the oldest 
building in Great Britain, and at one time ranked the 
wealthiest. The repaired portion consists of a nave and 
two aisles, outside of ten massive, clustered columns, each one 
of the circumference of a hogshead. Above these aisles was 
once a gallery, but the march of improvement ordered it to 
be taken down. On one column hang two tattered ban- 



SCOTLAND. 237 

ners, the ensigns of the Renfrew Regiment when it was 
in action. The coat of arms of the soldiers are the three 
feathers of the Prince of Wales. The stained windows are 
all new ; the one opposite the pulpit is to he the Queen's 
memorial, but she had not sent it when we left, and I have 
not yet heard whether it now decorates the consecrated spot. 
One window represents Sir William Wallace, the Baron of 
Elderslie. The organ-loft is over the pulpit, and, as the 
instrument is a very fine one in tone, it should be seen also, 
although I do not think the position at all desirable. 

The charm of the Abbey is the " Sounding Aisle,^^ a small 
chapel, supposed to be built by Marjory Bruce, as her tomb 
is in the centre before the altar steps, representing her sculp- 
tured recumbent figure, with her hands together as if in 
prayer. She was the mother of Robert the Second, her hus- 
band being Walter, brother of Robert the Bruce. The chapel 
is also the cemetery of the Abercorn family. It has received 
the name " Sounding Aisle" from its singular echo. When 
we entered the solemn precincts and closed the door, the re- 
verberations of that closing, died away like distant thunder, 
and, standing by that tomb of ages past, my Paisley friend 
sung the sweet hymn, " Nearer^ my God^ to Thee,^' and the 
old, old walls took up the strains in triumph and told them 
over and over again, and then glided into soft, bewitching 
murmurs long after she had ceased to sing. Going out from 
this cool retreat into the warm sunlight, with the sacred 
melody still echoing in our hearts, we proceeded to the 
" Fountain Garden," a bequest of Sir Peter Coats to the 
people of Paisley. It is a pleasant resort in the even- 
ing, but during the day there is not enough shade, as the 
garden has not been laid out long enough for the trees to 
afford a refreshing shelter. The fountains and flowers were 
quite beautiful, and it will in time be an attractive place. 

The Paisley Museum, while it contains handsome speci- 



238 WE FOUR. 

mens of the manufactures of the town, also shows curious 
relics of other nations. Mr. Pollock had contributed quite 
a case full of articles collected from Paris during its reign of 
blood, the terrible siege of '71. Another case with ears 
of Indian corn in the different forms ; in the husk, then 
with the silk, then stripped, then the cob alone, while it 
excited an interest to those who never saw a field of it, 
waving its " silken tassels" in the air, made me hunger for a 
good roasting ear to eat. There was to be a horticultural 
exhibition in Paisley, and I had, prematurely, a surreptitious 
view of some magnificent roses in Lawyer C.'s garden that 
were intended to compete for the prize. His grounds were 
quite extensive, but the lateness of the season had robbed 
them of most of their beauty, excepting those cherished 
plants which he intended for the autumn exhibition. The 
floral advantages of Europe have been spoken of before in 
this work, so I will not enlarge upon them now. The fine 
villas, with their cultivated surroundings, which I men- 
tioned, were situated on the site of the famous woods of 
Ciaigelea, where the poet Tannahill wandered, and which he 
had immortalized, and the last oak of the grove was pointed 
out to me, — ^the last of the 

"Bonny "Woods of Craigelea." 

Paisley's greatest poet, Robert Tannahill, was born June 
3, 17*74, and died May 17, 1810, by drowning himself in 
the canal, after a life of trouble that only true genius 
knows. The world is apt to sneer at the unsuccessful, but it 
is the sensitive mind, the delicate perception, that succumbs 
first in the battle of life. A few more struggles, perhaps, 
and the talented one may be lifted to the sphere which he 
covets, but heart and strength both fail him, and he yields to 
the pressure which is crushing him. A later generation ap- 
preciates the brilliant star that has set in darkness, too late 



SCOTLAND. 239 

only for his memory, and on June 3, 1874, Paisley celebrated 
the anniversary of Tannahill's birth in the glen that he 
loved. 

We drove out to the suburban villa of Haircraige, and then, 
with its lovely mistress in our company, visited the romantic 
haunts of the poet. At the entrance to the glen was a bust 
of Tannahill, but our carriage-drive terminated at a ravine, so 
we alighted and strayed at our own wills over the grassy 
knolls. The ground had been cut in terraces to form seats 
for the thousands who clustered there on the anniversary, a 
rustic platform was erected for the orchestra, which comprised 
the best talent of the district, together with one hundred 
voices, who sang the poet's songs and choruses. 

From this verdant mead we found a little path which, lead- 
ing us through a flowery ravine and over a rustic stile, brought 
lis to a stone surrounding a well of the coolest of waters. Mr. 
Fulton, of the manor, insisted that I should drink first from 
its limpid depths, that the mantle of inspiration which it had 
moistened for Tannahill might descend on me ; so, to make 
the enchantment doubly sure, I read first aloud the lines 
which are engraven above it : 

" Round the sylvan-fairy nooks 
Feath'ry breckans fringe the rocks, 
Neath the brae the burnie jouks, 
And ilka thing is cheerie 0." 

From "Gloomy Winter's now awa." 

We then crossed a rustic bridge over a noisy little stream, 
and in another picturesque defile was a stone erected, and on it 
was a warning from Tannahill's " Bonnie Wood of Craigelea" : 

"TO THE NEST HEERIERS. 

"Awa*, ye thoctless, murdrun gang 
Wha tear the nestlins ere they flee ,• 
They'll sing you yet a canty song, 
Then, oh ! in pity let them be." 



240 WE FOUR. 

My attention was called to the many birds flying around, 
so that the warning was a necessary one. They, indeed, 
filled the air with their joyous notes, and won one's sympathy 
from their tameness. We followed the noisi/ stream to the 
Linn, where, up among the rocks, was its source, and as it 
came down in a quiet thread of light, we wondered that its 
character changed so soon from peace to strife. The dry 
season, they had been having, had deprived the Linn of its 
silvery beauty, as only a shower came from among the moss- 
covered cliffs. Such a country walk as we had back to our 
carriage, by the side of the rivulet, over a stile, crossing the 
bridge again into a field, and stumbling on its uneven surface, 
we reached the carriage-road. 

Our next visit was to an old farm-house, where a dairy of 
twenty cows was kept, the milk and butter being sent to mar- 
ket in Grlasgow. When we arrived at the door, a dog com- 
menced barking, a turkey flew at us in its crimson anger, two 
geese cackled their welcome, and a young calf bellowed a 
greeting, while a cat mewed in concert, and a little old woman 
urged us to alight. We told her we would if she took the 
menagerie away, as Mrs. L. was afraid of the tufkey. Miss 
L. of the calf, our coachman of the dog. Miss J. of the cat, 
and I of the geese. She laughed, probably at our city airs ; 
and as our charioteer declared his solemn intention " not to 
die barking like a dog," she ordered that animal back to his 
kennel. A stick drove away the calf, a shuing sound with 
the lips dispersed the feathered tribe, and the cat being de- 
clared tame, we alighted. Entering the large kitchen, we 
stepped upon a stone floor, laid out in patterns, like Pees- 
weep Inn, which accounted for the rheumatic foot, swathed 
in bandages, that the mistress of the farm-house possessed, 
for she boasted of chalking the floor every morning. The 
harness hanging from the rafters emitted a disagreeable odor 
rather opposite from one's idea of a savory kitchen. On one 



SCOTLAND. 241 

side of tlie large fireplace, with a mantel-piece too high up 
for even an average-sized American to put his feet while 
smoking, was an old-fashioned dresser, with its display of 
china ; on the other side was a door leading to a small bed- 
room occupied by the herdsman, for from his room you en- 
tered the cattle-shed and the dairy. The latter was large, 
and its shelves and floor were of stone. I remarked to a 
gentleman, on my return from this visit, how strange it ap- 
peared to me to see the dairy and cow-pen so close to the 
house. He replied, " that was an improvement on the old 
method of being altogether under one roof." 

We then went up-stairs, and were ushered into the parlor, 
which was furnished in a modern style. English tapestry car- 
pet covered the floor, a cottage piano was invitingly open, a 
marble-top table in the centre held the lamp and some hand- 
soinely-bound volumes; easy-chairs were around; a comfort- 
able sofa, lace-curtains at the windows and before each was a 
small stand holding a vase of fresh flowers. I asked the 
'^ daughter of the house^^ if she played the piano. 

" No, miss," she replied, and holding out her hands, 
coarse and brown with toil ; " what fingers are these to 
play ? They have only been taught to work ; all my young 
days were spent in labor, and it is too late now to learn 
anything." 

Too late ! there was such a vein of sadness in the speech. 
A woman of some thirty-odd years, but with health de- 
stroyed by working beyond her strength, and now with hands 
folded idly before her, she knew not what to do. She could 
appreciate the beautiful but she could not enjoy it, and it 
was with more animation that she led us into the spare room 
from the parlor, and exhibited the pile of home-spun blankets, 
of which she proudly said, " My mother made them all her- 
self," her taste for the useful superseding her longings for 
the ornamental. 



242 WE FOUR. 

Her first question on being introduced to me was, " Where 
is your husband?" 

On my confessing to the non-possession of such an accom- 
paniment, she inquired, " How, then, did you come?" 

When I confessed again to we four travelling from Amer- 
ica to Europe without a manly escort she seemed aston- 
ished, but I am sorry to say did not appear to admire our 
courage, so I asked her in return " if she had a husband ;" 
but her sad negative warned me that there were heart sorrows 
as well as joys with which a " stranger meddleth not." I 
thought at first she was a widow, but learned that, like our- 
selves, matrimonial woes as well as its joys she had never 
known. 

The poverty and degradation in the large cities was pain- 
ful to witness, but whether, because it is among the beauties 
of nature, but the sight of mendicancy in the country afiects 
one with more sadness than when surrounded by man's works. 

A feeling of horror came over me when I saw an aged 
woman, a tramp of the lowest type, standing beneath the 
spreading branches of a tree, and yet there was a fascination 
about her which I could not resist. She was tall, but so at- 
tenuated that her bones, as David the Psalmist says, " could 
be counted." Her feet were barely kept from the ground by 
an apology for shoes, a chemise and quilted skirt formed her 
dress, and to cover her bare head and shoulders another 
quilted skirt was thrown over her gray hairs, and she held it 
beneath her chin with skinny fingers. But the gray hairs 
were unkempt and straggled over her forehead in wiry out- 
lines, and from underneath them, shone eyes so brilliant in 
their fierceness that they looked like stars. If she had been 
masculine in her appearance, I should have thought that one 
of Sir Walter Scott's characters had stepped from out the 
framework of the novel to her native braes. I should have 
fancied Meg Merrilies before me. This woman, we discovered, 



SCOTLAND. 243 

belonged to a gang who obtained, I will not say a living, but 
their whiskey by stealing^ and begging as an excuse for the 
former ; and it will not be long that this attenuated figure, 
already with fatal consumption holding her in his skinny 
fingers, practice either, and yet the profane language she 
uttered when refused assistance was a poor herald to the 
other world. Novelists, so often, throw a charm around such 
lives, of which the missionary is obliged to disenchant us, 
before he can receive assistance in his labors. 

Among other places visited in Paisley was the cemetery, 
that had lately been improved. At the extreme ends of the 
central avenue were two monuments, both erected to thQ 
memory of engineers. One design was a simple shaft of 
Scottish marble, but the symmetry was spoiled by a gilt band 
about two feet from the apex. I concluded there must be 
some reason beyond that of mere taste for this elaboration, 
and on inquiring, learned that on the night after its erection, 
it fell during a heavy storm and this damage occurred. The 
other one was of white marble, and the design was a temple 
with a sculptured angel above it. Another monument that 
attracted my attention and will interest others, was of granite, 
and covered the remains of Protestant martyrs, James Algie 
and John Park, who were executed in Gallows Green, Feb- 
ruary 3, 1685, for their religion. This graveyard, like the 
Necropolis of Glasgow, was laid out in terraces on a hill, and 
gave a fine outlook to the surrounding country. I was ac- 
companied in this ramble by two lovely girls from one of the 
villas that adorn Craigelea. One possessed the vivacity and 
delicate perception of a French girl, — roving from music to 
literature, pictures to fancy work, like a bee from flower to 
flower, . culling from each additional powers of pleasing. The 
other sister was domestic in tastes, taking the head of the 
table with all the ease and grace of an accomplished matron, 
and to whom little brothers and sisters clung, recognizing the 



244 WE FOUR. 

motherly sympathy in her young heart. An older sister, 
whom I did not meet, was of a different type of womanhood. 
She had been a student of Nature's pharmacy, her delight 
was in tending to the wants of not only her fellow-creatures, 
but of the lower order of animal creation. But home was too 
narrow a field for her warm nature, and, already was that field 
occupied by laborers, so she went to Edinburgh, and at the 
age of seventeen years took her place in the rank of nurses 
in the hospital, and at the time I was visiting there she had 
been engaged in the profession for one year, and had under 
her charge a ward of thirty men. 

The system adopted in Edinburgh in the Female Medical 
College is, that the women must first serve as nurses in the hos- 
pitals, or outside if required, for which course of education 
they receive graded certificates. On being declared efficient 
in that branch, they then take up the study of medicine, 
being released from nursing, and after a certain course obtain 
a diploma. Thus, a woman stands out in the profession not 
only a doctress but an able nurse. 

I felt more sad in leaving Paisley than any other place we 
had visited, on account of the dear friends I had made there, 
and in my recollection still linger the pleasant evenings 
around the piano, and the social chats. At one company, a 
lady sang " Prince Charlie!'' ; immediately following it came 
" Treasures of the Deep," from the sweet singer of the 
Sounding Aisle. An animated discussion followed on the 
relative merits of the two songs. A Scotch gentleman praised 
the first, as wakening in each heart a sympathetic chord as 
we thought of the trials of the young prince. An American 
lady favored the latter song, as being applicable to all people, 
as many a love, a hope, a joy, had been lost at sea. 
" There was not one of us," she said, " who did not share 
in the ' lost treasures of the deep,' but ' Prince Charlie's' 
aspirations for the crown could not touch an American 



SCOTLAND. 245 

heart as mucli as the Psalms of David, when he, too, hid 
among the clefts of the rocks from his enemies." The 
argument subsided, but the two opinions had not varied 
from their point. 

I left a little poem to be printed in the " Paisley Herald 
and Renfrewshire Advertiser," and it appeared September 
14, 1878. As some of my friends may feel desirous of par- 
ticipating in my thoughts of Scotland, I give them here : 

ADDRESS TO SCOTLAND. 

Thy land is like an abbey's walls j 

Within are shrines, to which we bow 
In adoration meek; no cloistered halls 

We've ever trod are dear as thou. 

We've stood where warriors in each glen 
Have marshalled clans in days of yore; 

Our hearts have throbbed like Scotia's men 
When Bruce's heart had touched her shore. 

We love the land where Wallace bled, 

Its heroes people yet each hill; 
We love the land, where martyrs dead 

Of faith and courage teach us still. 

Dear are thy purple-mantled braes, 

A glory in thy lochs is seen, 
Thy sparkling rills still lisp the praise 

Of lofty crags embowered green. 

Is there a land whose every cliflf, 

Where grows the purple heather wild. 
And lakes which bear the tiny skiff. 

And dewy meads where verdure smiled, 

Have been immortalized in song 

By Tannahill, by Scott, by Burns, 
Where Ossian woke the echoes long, 

O'er which the Muse of Poesie yearns ? 
21* 



246 WE FOUR. 

Scotland! e'en the Holyrood 

Is consecrated in thy hand ; 
Colombo's Island stained with blood 

Marks thee supreme a Christian land. 

In the last stanza I refer to tlae island of lona, where 
stands the first cathedral in the country, and where Bishop 
Colombo first preached Christianity. Near to it is Staffa. 
noted for the Fingal's Cave, the termination, or the begin- 
ning, it is hard to determine which, of the curious formation 
of the Griant's Causeway, that will be described in the account 
of the Irish tour. The heavy rains prevented us from visit- 
ing these two noted islands, as the small steamers which ply 
there cannot get up on account of the tide, and our limited 
time prevented us from waiting for a more auspicious season. 
It was the one disappointment of our European trip. 

These rains make me sigh over my lost American umbrella ; 
I have an English one now, it is true, but I left Philadelphia 
with one that I prized highly from recollections, — a silver 
plate upon its handle bore my name and address, — but Fate 
had decreed its remaining in Europe, so in Geneva the warn- 
ing finger of stern decree touched it in the shape of a man 
who entered our room while two of us were in dishabille, and 
the other two on their couches in the arms of Morpheus, and 
this audacious man, the handsome hotel clerk, seized upon my 
umbrella, and in his best German claimed it, while one of 
we four, in the best English that her naodest blushes would 
allow, protested against this forcible entry, and still more for- 
cible possession of an umhrella. Twice was this invasion at- 
tempted, but the besieged were victorious, and for this time 
retained the disputed article. But, as I said before. Fate 
had determined its departure, so on our road to Lake Thun, 
the sudden uplifting of a parcel from the floor of the car sent 
the unfortunate umbrella first in a perpendicular position, 
then a slanting one out of the window, then a series of geo- 



SCOTLAND. 247 

metrical curves, and landed I know not where, for I was laugh- 
ing too much at its manner of going to notice where it went. 
Whether it has proved a shelter to some German head, or 
whether a passing train has broken its many ribs, will never 
be revealed. 

But I am a pilgrim, and must take my staff, versus Eng- 
lish umbrella, and, with .travelling-bag and shawl-strap, start 
for Manchester ; but before leaving the land of poetry I must 
tell you of a coincidence which I did not discover until my 
return to America. In my father's library there is a book 
published in Boston in 1829, called " Specimens of Ameri- 
can Poetry;" in it I found " The Braes of Glenniffer," cred- 
ited to Robert Dinsmoor, born at Londonderry, in New 
Hampshire, October 7, 1757. He was a farmer's boy, and 
served as a soldier at the capture of Burgoyne. In 1828 his 
poems, which had been so far fugitives in newspapers, were 
published by the "Bustic Bard," as he termed himself, in 
one volume. Being of Scotch descent, he has written most 
of his verses in Scotch dialect. As Tannahill published his 
" Braes of Glenniffer" in 1805, just five years before his 
death, ought he not to have the credit of the originality of 
the poem, as he had wandered there so oft, while Dinsmoor 
had never seen the romantic spot ? Or shall we think that 
the Muse of Poetry breathed the same inspiration into like 
words into the minds of her talented sons so far apart ? 

But the Caledonian- Railway is taking me now away from 
the land of Scott and Burns, as we leave shire after shire of 
rustic beauty beyond us. 

It may have appeared to my fellow-travellers, a pleasant 
English gentleman with rather a fretful, invalid wife, that I 
was in a lonely position to be travelling in this manner, an 
entire stranger to the country, thus by myself, but there was 
too much novelty in my surroundings for me to feel any deso- 
lateness in my situation. Passing Gretna Green, that from its 



<b 



248 WE FOUR. 

verdant pasture well deserves the name, my memory ran riot 
over the tales of the village blacksmith and elopements, now 
a thing of the past. Then through the lake district, that 
reminded one of Switzerland, only the mountain-peaks were 
no longer snow-tipped, but the lakes nestled the same at their 
feet beneath dark-green foliage. 

Carlisle being the grand centre for all diverging railways, 
the excitement around the station was an exhilarating inter- 
lude to my long ride. A lady entered our carriage there, 

,^ accompanied by a porter, who carried on a truck her luggage. 
As the system of checking baggage like we have in the 
United States is still to be adopted in Europe, people travel 
with more hand-luggage than they do in our country, and 
articles that should be in the baggage- car are crowded in your 

^ travelling carriage to interfere with your comfort. I looked 
aghast as eleven articles, comprising baskets, satchels, bundles, 
travelling-rugs, and boxes, were placed one by one around me. 
I could not help remarking, as I saw myself nearly annihilated, 
'' This is an imposition ; this baggage should be registered, for 
this is not a third-class car where all things are allowable." I 
did not expect an answer, and therefore was not at all disap- 

,^ pointed in being perfectly ignored, but I saw had made an 
enemy of my intended vis-d-vis. But my relief came sooner 
than I expected ; the guard appeared on the scene, and in- 
formed the lady that she was in the wrong carriage, as she 
wished to go to Liverpool. In counting over her goods as she 
withdrew, she missed another bag, thus making an even dozen 
articles, one of which had been left in the other train. The 
guard remonstrated with her about filling up the travelling 
carriage, so I sincerely hope for the comfort of those travelling 
towards Liverpool in her compartment, that the luggage was 
considerably diminished. The slowness of movement in Great 
Britain is very aggravating to an American traveller, and I 
sympathized very much with a young lady who expected to 



ENGLAND. 249 

reach London before dark, and probably migbt bave done so if 
the guard would have taken her box out of the baggage-car 
more expeditiously, so that she could have made the connec- 
tion at Manchester for London at five o'clock ; as it was, she 
was obliged to wait for a later train. 

I was now in Manchester, which comes next to London in 
antiquity, being founded about the sixth century. It is situated 
on the Irwell where the Medlock and Irk Kivers meet, and is 
reached by eight bridges, and the low situation and supply of 
water make it the manufacturing town it is. There was some 
difficulty when I was there in municipal affairs, in relation to 
the conducting of water through the city. I came away 
before the matter was settled, but I can truly say, except my 
drink at Tannahill's well, this was the best tasting water we 
had drunk in Great Britain. I put up at the Trevelyn Hotel 
until I could learn of the whereabouts of my friends, whose 
arrival, however, did not take place until three days after mine. 

The Cathedral is the attraction of Manchester for visitors. 
It was built in 1422, and during its erection the workmen 
received a penny a day for their labor. Near it, among the 
quaint buildings that are the relics of the ancient town, stands 
" The Seven Stars^'' an old inn with gabled front and latticed 
window, in which the men employed on the Cathedral drank 
their pots of beer. I was very anxious to know how much 
the foaming draught cost in those days, as a penny a day 
would not procure even the necessaries of life with our nine- 
teenth-century views, but no one could tell me. This build- 
ing has been improved so often that its very antiquity is lost, 
the only reminders of age being a piece of tapestry behind 
the altar representing the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira, 
and the old tombs in the chapels. 

One very handsome monument was erected to the memory 
of Mr. Cheetham, who founded the school for orphan boys 
in 1686, which institution stands in the vicinity of the Cathe- 



250 WE FOUR. 

dral. We heard a choral service the afternoon we visited this 
venerable church, but the principal part of the music was 
sung by a tenor voice of remarkable strength and flexibility. 
It was rumored that the young man to whom the voice be- 
longed would soon exchange the cloister's gown and solemn 
service for the actor's trappings and the operatic r61e. There 
was to be a baptism after the service, and there were so many 
waiting for that ceremony, that now and then infant voices 
mingled their lugubrious notes with the richer harmony. 

The Town Hall and the Assize Courts are the finest build- 
ings in Manchester. The former is built after the models of 
the Temple of Erectheus and the " Temple of Winds," at 
Athens. As you ascend the steps to the portico you pass the 
statues of Solon of Greece and Alfred of England. Is the 
same wisdom and justice that they meted out, measured from 
this hall? 

Standing on the tessellated pavement of the rotunda, one 
feels that from floor to dome, art has served her highest pur- 
pose in this magnificent building. The Assize Courts is quite 
a new edifice, the workmen had not yet bade it a final adieu, 
but it has been occupied. It is the Norman style of architec- 
ture, more palatial than cathedral in its size and interior ar- 
rangements. This being the district of Lancashire, the Rose 
of Lancaster was the principal figure in the carvings and 
hangings, while the armorial bearings of the duke — his coat 
of arms being a couchant lion — were suspended in every 
apartment. The central hall was a vast room, with marble 
pavement and niches on the sides for statues, and overlook- 
ing it, was a broad gallery, which our guide told us was a 
favorite promenade for lawyers while the courts were in ses- 
sion. The latter apartments were arranged on the regular 
English system, only they were rich and fresh-looking, — a 
charm that is soon dispelled in this murky city. The win- 
dows were of painted glass, and one representing the signing 



ENGLAND. 251 

of tlie Magna Cliarta was considered the finest, as it was the 
largest, in the building. The barristers had dining-rooms for 
their especial use, very handsomely furnished ; the jurors' 
rooms were plainer in decoration, but more substantial-look- 
ing, while on the first floor is a public restaurant. 

I had a delightful ride to Kersal Moor, passing on the way 
rows of semi-detached villas, each with a fancy name upon 
the gate-posts. One of the residences I was told was that of 
the Bishop of Manchester, but he had concealed it with a 
brick wall about fifteen feet high, so that its beauty, if there 
was any, could only be imagined. I was told he was a very 
good man, but I also learned he was aesthetic in his taste and 
a patron of the liberal arts, but I am afraid he is not liberal 
enough to allow his neighbor to participate in his surround- 
ings. He was an old man, dressed in knee-breeches, black 
silk stockings, buckled shoes, a long coat, a broad-brimmed 
beaver, while a white neck-tie gave him a clerical appearance. 
He was quite urbane in his manners, and is not only loved 
and esteemed, but almost worshipped by some of his people. 

The view of Manchester which I had from Kersal Moor has 
been taken in oil by a townsman, Mr. Cameron ; the painting 
was on exhibition in the Langworthy Wing of the Peel Park 
Koyal Museum. The same artist had another study there 
from Kinnoul Hill, at Perth. Another view of Manchester 
was taken from Throstle Nest, by James Simpson, but I cannot 
verify its truthfulness, as I did the first painting I mentioned. 
Among the works of other local artists, I was much pleased 
with the Conway Marsh, by Joseph Knight. Another study 
of Conway Bay, but by another artist, was very fine, for the 
scenery on the Conway coast is well worth a painter's interest 
to see. Views taken on the coast of North Devon, including 
the Valley of Bocks, were quite picturesque. The gems of 
the collection were " Deer-Stalking," by Bichard Ansdell, of 
the Boyal Academy, and " Waiting for the Herring-Boats, 



252 WE FOUR. 

on the Beach at Scheveningen," by S. H. Sadee. " Under 
the Opening Eyelids of the Morn" received the Turner Gold 
Medal, in 1877, from the Royal Academy ; the artist was J. 
H. Davies. Two pictures by J. Lament Brodie were charm- 
ing. One entitled " The Fiery Cross" : 

" Like heath bird, when the hawks pursue, 
A barge across Loch Katrine flew. 
High stood the henchman on the prowj 
So rapidly the bargemen row, 
The bubbles, where they launched the boat, 
Were all unbroken and afloat." 

Scott : Ladv of the Lake. 

The second, " The Lady of the Lake" : 

"The maiden paused, as if again 
She thought to catch the distant strain. 
With head upraised and look intent. 
With eye and ear attentive bent, 
And locks flung back and lips apart. 
Like monument of Grecian art. 
In listening mood she seemed to stand 
The guardian Naiad of the Strand." 

The Peel Park, in which stands the E-oyal Museum, re- 
ceives its name from the statue of the celebrated statesman. 
Sir Robert Peel, which is placed at the entrance. Other fine 
statues, one of Richard Cobden, and beautiful fountains orna- 
ment these pleasure-grounds, which are laid out in parterres 
and terraces of flowers and verdure, with a miniature lake on 
which one can sail. 

I spent one evening at Free- Trade Sail, which was built 
at the time (1853) when the free- trade movement was agi- 
tating the country, and will accommodate eight thousand per- 
sons. It was used by Moody and Sankey during their visit to 
England, and six to seven thousand people congregated there 
nightly. It is an unpretentious hall, with nothing but its 



ENGLAND. 253 

vastness to admire. Hague's Minstrel Troupe of sixty per- 
formers, with wliat is termed, in minstrel parlance, eleven end- 
men, — seven with the banjo and four with the bones, — were 
giving entertainments there. They were an American band 
of serenaders, and six were original colored men from the 
slave States, and gave the plantation dance as if they were 
" doion SoufJ'' Their songs were chiefly American, but their 
anecdotes and jokes were local. One of their conundrums 
was, "What tree was planted in this hall?" After some 
circumlocution, in their general manner, the answer came, 
" Birch." It appears that a self-made man by that name has 
taken a great interest in poor boys, and holds services on 
Sundays in Free-Trade Hall for all working-people who have 
no church interests elsewhere. We hope that his good works 
will prosper. Another conundrum was, " What's the dif- 
ference between a glass of water and a glass of brandy?" 
Of course everybody gave it up, and the reponse was, " eight- 
pencey 

^^ We four''' are together again, and feel as if we could be 
separated no more, and our destination is Stratford-on-Avon, 
our only stopping-place before we return to London. We 
change cars at Chester, another old cathedral town, one of the 
walled cities of England. Its streets cross each other at 
right angles, according to the ancient Roman direction, with 
the four principal ones diverging to the cardinal points. 
The Cathedral has a tower one hundred and twenty-seven 
feet high, and is a massive structure, with some fine old 
monuments. The ruins of an abbey are adjacent to it. 



22 



PART SEYENTH. 

THE trio's experiences IN IRELAND. 

"A Type that blends 
Three Godlike friends — 
Love, valor, wit — forever. 
Oh, the Shamrock ! the green ! 

Immortal Shamrock ! 
Chosen Leaf of Bard and Chief, 
Old Erin's native Shamrock." 

Moore. 

August 30, 1878. — We three left Grlasgow for Belfast 
(Ireland) at six p.m. in the Royal Mail steamer Buffalo, a 
splendid vessel, containing a fine saloon, and state-rooms hand- 
somely fitted up, but with no preparations for sea-sickness. 

The stewardess informed us that the passage across was 
seldom rough, and the " (9A, my T disease a rare event. As 
we were not at all addicted to that complaint, this information 
did not afford the consolation she seemed desirous of im- 
parting. 

After leaving Grlasgow, we stopped at Greenock, and took 
on board quite a number of passengers and a quantity of 
luggage. We left Greenock about eight p.m., and steamed 
down the Clyde, which we were told was the Delaware of 
Scotland ; but on seeing it, decided it was an insult to com- 
pare our noble river with the narrow, sluggish Clyde. 

The first part of the trip was down the river into the Frith 
of Clyde, thence into the Channel, passing before dark Dum- 
barton Rock and Castle, the residence of the Duke of Argyle^ 
and the ruins of an old ivy-covered relic of the days of palaces. 
25i 



THE TRIO'S EXPERIENCES IN IRELAND. 255 

About ten p.m. we retired to our berths, and slept soundly 
until five a.m., wlien we found we had reached Belfast, and 
were anchored in the " harbor" of old Ireland. We remained 
on board the Buffalo until six o'clock, then went ashore to 
secure a jaunting-car to convey us to a hotel. 

As it had been a settled fact in our minds that our first 
ride in Ireland must be in a jaunting-car, we could not be 
induced to take a carriage of another kind on any considera- 
tion. 

Our driver, a jolly young Irishman, assisted us in, or rather 
on^ the car, mounted up in front, seized the reins of his noble 
steed, flourished his whip as though he meant business, and 
away we went. 

The jaunting-car, allow me to say for the benefit of those 
who do not know, has but two wheels ; the driver sits on an 
elevated seat in front, the passengers, two on each side, sit- 
ting back to back, facing the curbstone, with feet hanging 
over the side of the car and resting on a narrow board in an 
easy posture. 

The morning being damp and chilly, one of the party wore 
a water-proof cloak, which in the breeze caused by the rush 
of our chariot floated out most gracefully on the wind. We, 
in the mean time, were trying to maintain our positions 
on the " low-backed car" by holding on with both hands. 
The faster our steed rushed on the more the cloak fluttered 
in the air, we laughing immoderately, and wondering what 
our friends at home would say could they but see our stylish 
turnout. 

Our horse being lame added to the effect, and on we 
dashed up York to Donegal Street to our hotel, where our 
coachman drew up with a loud " whoa," and looked around 
at us with a very knowing look, as much as to say, " Sure 
and have I not brought yees in ilegant style ?" 

After doing justice to an excellent breakfast, we started 



256 WE FOUR. 

out to explore Belfast. We visited first the Ulster Institu- 
tion for the Deaf, Dumb, and Blind, where, although it was 
not a visiting day, we were most kindly received, shown 
through the building, and allowed to see the pupils at dinner. 
Went next to the establishment of Marcus Ward, the Queen's^ 
College, several other prominent buildings, and wound up by 
a tour of inspection of the principal stores and streets of the 
town. 

Belfast is a beautiful city, containing many fine public 
buildings, and handsome private residences. The people are 
most hospitable and kind to strangers, polite and refined in 
manner, and very American in many of their customs. 

Sahhath, September 1. — We accompanied Mr. and Mrs. 
B., of Belfast, to the Duncairn Presbyterian Church, of 
which Dr. Killen is pastor. As it was Communion Sabbath, 
we had the pleasure of witnessing the real old Covenanters' 
service, an exceedingly solemn and impressive ceremony. 
Dr. K. preached a most excellent sermon from the text, 
" Ought not Christ to have sufiered these things for us?" 

In the evening attended service at St. Andrew's Episcopal 
Church. The curate, Mr. Crozier, took for his theme, " For 
the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost," 
and gave a good, effective sermon. Indeed, we regard this 
and the discourse of the morning as the best heard abroad, 
not even excepting Spurgeon. St. Andrew's is quite low 
church in form of worship, — very different from the Epis- 
copal churches elsewhere. They have a clerk, — quite an old 
man, — who leads the responses. He wears a black robe, and 
" has a pulpit on the ground-floor," as one of our party face- 
tiously remarked. 

Belfast is a Sabbath-keeping city, the first day of the week 
being universally observed as one of " rest.^^ No running of 
cars disturbs the solemnity which broods over that sacred 
time ; no sJiops being open, jar upon the mind's peacefulness. 



THE TRIO'S EXPERIENCES IN IRELAND. 257 

A Sabbath in Belfast is truly a suitable harbinger for the 
weekly cares that so soon weigh upon us. 

We hear much of the " hrogue' of Ireland, but it applies 
only to the southern part of the island, the people of Belfast 
and Dublin being noted for their pure and correct English. 

Monday^ September 22. — We rose at four o'clock A.M., 
and reached the depot at six, in order to take the train for 
the Giant's Causeway. We were told by an official to pass 
on to the carriage, and the conductor would " nip" our tickets 
before starting. 

The ride from Belfast to Port Rush is through a most 
beautiful country, passing many pretty towns, some with 
strange names, such as Antrim, Ballymena, Ballymoney, 
Calleybackey, Coleraine, Port Stewart, and many others 
equally funny until we reached Port Rush, a fashionable 
watering-place on the sea-coast. Here we found a large, 
handsome hotel, called the Antrim Arms. After resting a 
short time we took our favorite carriage — a jaunting-car — 
for the Causeway. This car had four wheels, two horses, 
and held ten persons,— riye three and seven gentlemen (English 
and Scotch) filling it quite comfortably. The gentlemen 
were a jolly party, amusing and entertaining, but treating us 
with the greatest respect and kindness. 

The drive of seven Irish miles along the sea-coast is most 
grand, and would alone repay one for a visit to Ireland. 
We passed the old Castle of Dunluce, which stands on an 
isolated rock that rises one hundred feet above the level of 
the sea, the sides of the rock appearing to form part of the 
walls, while the base, by the action of the water, has been 
formed into curious caves. It is separated from the land by 
a chasm twenty feet broad and one hundred feet deep, and is 
approached by a self-supported wall of rock about eighteen 
inches wide, below which the waves foam and dash, even 
when the sea is calm. 

22* 



258 WE FOUR. 

The date and builder of Dunluce are unknown, but it is a 
relic of feudal times, and was the stronghold of the Mac- 
Donells, but has degenerated to be a favorite resort for 
picnics and tea-drinkings during the bathing season. 

After leaving Dunluce, we passed the Lion's Paw and the 
Devil's Punch-Bowl. The former is a rock, covered with moss 
and ivy, projecting out into the sea, and bearing a strong re- 
semblance to the paw of the King of Beasts. The Bowl is a 
deep, round cavity, in which, as we were informed, his Satanic 
Majesty brews punch for his followers by the wholesale, which 
accounts for the drunkenness in the United Kingdom. 

The entire road from Port Bush to the Causeway is lined 
with the possessions of the Griant and the Devil, and many 
are the legends told in connection with them. We remarked 
that Satan seemed to have a great many relations in that part 
of the country ; our guide replied, " Far too many for the 
good of decent people." 

We passed also on this road the residence of Sir Francis 
McNaughton, a very handsome mansion, surrounded by a 
beautiful park. 

On arriving at the Caiiseway, the first sound which greeted 
us was " Grandfather's Clock," which was being sung to a 
piano accompaniment by some person in the hotel, causing 
one of we three to exclaim, " Beally, ' Grandfather's Clock 
stops short' even in this out-of-the-way place." 

Soon we were surrounded by men and boys offering their 
services as guides and boatmen. One old man exhibited a 
book containing over three thousand references and auto- 
graphs, that of Dom Pedro among the number. He insisted 
on us gazing on " only this and nothing more," feeling confi- 
dent it would insure his election, but in the midst of his 
harangue he was pushed aside by another with, " Sure, an' 
don't yees believe him, ladies, 'tis himself don't tell the 
truth," and offering to take us out in the boats for about 



THE TRIO'S EXPERIENCES IN IRELAND. 259 

one-half the fee demanded by the Dom Pedro man ; he, iu 
his turn, being thrust back by another still more moderate in 
his demands. We poor mortals, feeling that we were in the 
hands of the Philistines, resigned ourselves to whatever might 
befall us, and calmly awaited our fate. The gentlemen, how- 
ever, kindly came to the rescue, took charge of the party, 
and ended the disputed point by selecting an honest lad, 
Hugh McDonell, — we suppose the last surviving descendant 
of the family who owned Dunluce, — to act as guide for the 
whole party. Hugh at once assumed command, and started 
us up the Shepherd's Path, followed by quite a small army 
of the rejected, who kept informing us that " sure, Hughey 
knew nothing about the Causeway ; had never been over it 
himself, an' the first thing we knew we would be drowhnded 
in the say." Hugh retorted by saying " 'twas themselves 
would drowhn us ; and sure they heard the ladies say they did 
not want to be drowhnded." We finally succeeded in getting 
rid of some of our numerous retinue, and commenced the 
ascent. 

On reaching the Wishing Well we were again beset by 
men, women, and children selling sea-weed, shells, views, and 
specimens of various kinds. One old dame with a " three- 
bordered cap" insisted on us buying something from her, " as 
she had not had a drop of tay for a week." 

" Oh," said a gentleman, " it is my opinion you have had 
too much tay already this morning." 

She was quite indignant, and moved on, to try her powers 
of persuasion on less obdurate hearts. 

" Blessings on your sweet face, buy from me, and 'tis my- 
self will pray for a safe voyage to America," said another old 
crone. 

" How do you know I am an American ?" was asked. 

" Sure an' I know the tongue of yees, and that yees have 
plenty of money, as all from America have." (5 



260 WE FOUR. 

" Go away," said another ; " slie'Il buy from me. for I axed 
her first." 

" Give me a penny?" said a ragged ^^ vagabond heroine" 
who had followed us up, jumping from stone to stone like a 
young chamois ; " give me a penny ? Well, then, give me a 
ha'penny." 

" Change a crown and take it out," said a gentleman. 

This was too much for the damsel, and she subsided. 

Such a clatter and chattering as was kept up around us can 
only be imagined by those who have been besieged as we 
were. It was bewildering, provoking, and exceedingly laugh- 
able, too. 

Our poor, patient guide, Hugh, was in the mean time try- 
ing to rescue us from the clutches of the enemy, and we at 
last succeeded in evading them for a few minutes, and were 
then invited to take a seat in the Wishing Chair, and drink 
a glass of water from the Wishing Well. 

" Drink," said the old man of the well, " and whatever 
yees wish will come true within a twelvemonth. If yees are 
single and want to be married, or if yees are married and 
want to be single, just drink, and in a twelvemonth it will all 
come to pass." 

What could all who were single do but drain the 
glass ? 

One gentleman alone obstinately refused to partake of the 
wonderful water, saying he had no desire to test its proper- 
ties, as he was perfectly satisfied with his condition in life, 
and wished no change. 

After bidding adieu to the ancient specimen who guards 
this mysterious chair and spring, and at the same time col- 
lects toll from innocent pilgrims, we resumed our journey, 
and Hugh commenced his explanations. 

" This is a wonderful structhure," said he, " and was built 
by a giant thousands and thousands of years ago." 



THE TRIO'S EXPERIENCES IN IRELAND. 261 

" Indeed !" said some one. " And wtat was the name of 
the giant, Hugh ?" 

" Do none of ye know ?" said Hugh, with an air of great 
surprise. 

" Don't believe him, lady," said another youth, who kept 
following the party; " don't believe a word he tells ye." 

" How long was the giant building it, Hugh ?" was next 
asked. 

" Years and years," said he. 

"Don't believe him," said number two ; "it was all built 
by the giant in the space of six days, an' he rested the 
seventh." 

" And what was the name of the giant?" 

" It was God," he reverently replied. 

We concluded he was well rooted and grounded in the 
faith, if our guide was not. 

After climbing a few minutes Hugh again stopped. 

" This," said he, " is the Giant's Organ ; it is composed of 
seven thousand pipes and four thousand stops, and is played 
upon by the giant on a Christmas morning, at six o'clock, once 
in seven years." 

" Have you ever heard it, Hugh?" we asked. 

" Sure an' I never get up so early of a cauld morning," he 
replied. 

" This," said our guide, pointing to a stone, " is a pentagon, 
and this, an octagon." 

" Oh," said one of the gentlemen, " what nonsense, Hugh ! 
You don't know a pentagon or an octagon when you see 
them." 

" Get down and count for yourself," answered he ; " and 
if ye know anything about figgers at all, ye can tell I'm 
right." 

And he was, too, being, as we found, well posted on the 
subject. 



262 WE FOUR. 

We inquired how far to tlie top of the " structliure." 

" About an Irish mile ; and I suppose ye know an Irish 
mile is longer than any other mile." 

" No," we replied. " Why is it longer ?" 

So Hugh proceeded to explain : 

The Irish mile was measured with a woollen string, which 
was tied to a mad dog ; every time the dog gave a " leap" 
the string stretched, and as the animal was very restive and 
gave a great many " leaps," by the time the mile was meas- 
ured the string had increased considerably in length, thus 
making the mile an exceedingly long one, as we found it to 
be before reaching the highest point. 

Our attention was next directed to a figure resembling an 
old woman on her knees, with hands clasped, in the attitude 
of prayer. 

" That," said Hugh, " is the ' Devil's Glrandmother' saying 
her prayers ; every afternoon at four o'clock she says them 
loud enough to be heard over in Scotland." 

We asked if he had ever heard her pray. 

" Sure an' do ye think I would be deafened by the likes 
of her," he replied, assuming an air of the greatest contempt. 

He next pointed out the Highlander's Bonnet, a large stone 
in the ocean in the shape of a Scotchman's cap, having even 
the little tuft on the top. 

The legend runs thus, according to Hugh : 

When the giant was building the Causeway one of his men, 
becoming angry about some trifle, refused to work, and started 
to swim to Scotland. The giant seized his bonnet and threw 
it into the sea, where it was turned into a stone, and, as Hugh 
remarked, " There he remains pethrified in the say to this 
day." 

Our guide was very particular pointing out the diff'erent 
shaped stones in the Causeway, and assured us there was but 
" one nine- and one three-sided figure in the whole structliure." 



THE TRIO'S EXPERIENCES IN IRELAND. 263 

We wound up by a visit to the Caves, where a musket was 
£red off for our edification, to give us the benefit of the 
echo. 

On returning to the hotel we parted with our friend Hugh, 
who we would recommend to all who visit the Causeway as 
an honest, entertaining youth. Of his honesty we can vouch, 
for when we three insisted on paying him for his services, 
he refused to accept anything, saying the gentlemen had 
given him " far too much, sure ;" then bidding us an 
affectionate good-by, and wishing us " a safe voyage over 
the say," he took his departure. Poor, honest Hugh! 
we will not soon forget him, his humorous tales and Irish 
wit. 

The Causeway is truly wonderful, but at first sight, persons 
are rather disappointed at its height, but on inspection it 
surpasses expectation. Sailing past in a vessel, gives no idea 
of its magnitude and grandeur ; it is only by walking over 
it. from stone to stone, that a correct impression can be 
obtained. The stones — some four-, some six-, and some eight- 
sided — fit as exactly as though all had been done with chisel 
and rule. " This" (to quote Hugh again) " proves that the 
giant knew how to use his tools." 

They also tell a tale of the Causeway having been mistaken 
by the Spanish Armada for a fortification, and after bom- 
barding it for several hours, the fleet sailed away " without 
receiving a shot in return." 

We dined at the Causeway Hotel, and returned by jaunt- 
ing-car to Port Rush, where we bade adieu to our gentleman 
friends and took the train for Belfast, which place we reached 
at ten p.m., very tired, but in good spirits. Our visit to the 
Causeway will long afford us much enjoyment in recalling the 
many funny incidents which occurred at that time. 

September 3. — We left Belfast at ten a.m. for Dublin, and 
had the pleasure of riding in the carriage with an Irish gen- 



264 TF^ FOUR. 

tleman, who pointed out the various places of interest along 
the road, and was also quite entertaining ; talked of America 
as a howling wilderness, and the inhabitants thereof as bar- 
barians ; said we three would not dare to travel alone in 
our own country, and much more to the same effect. "We, 
of course, resented this, and took up the hatchet in defence 
of our native land ; and after the battle had raged for some 
time, found to our discomfiture he was only jestirig, trying 
to provoke us ; as he then informed us his business interest 
centred in New York, and he entertained the warmest feel- 
ings towards Americans. On reaching Lisburn we parted 
with our friend, who expressed many kind wishes for our 
welfare and safe journey home. 

The line of road from Belfast to Dublin passes through a 
most beautiful section of country, many parts of it reminding 
us of counties in our own State. The verdure of Ireland is 
remarkable, the grass being of a greener green than in other 
lands ; and no place else does the ivy grow in such profusion 
and of such a dark, shiny green, the leaves having the ap- 
pearance of being oiled and then rubbed with a cloth to make 
them shine. Every wall, house, and old ruin is covered with 
this " rare old plant, — the ivy green." Fuchsias grow into 
large bushes, and wild-flowers of all kinds are abundant. It 
is nothing unusual to see fields of poppies, which are culti- 
vated for opium. 

Of course there is a vast difference between the country and 
the people of the north and south of Ireland. In the north 
the land is fertile and highly cultivated, the dwelling-houses 
of the workinsr-class neat and comfortable, while in the ex- 
treme southern part the land is barren and unproductive, and 
in many places the poor people live in mere hovels, and per- 
haps share this shelter with a cow ; and yet these miserable 
objects constitute the " tenantry" of some noble Lord or Right 
Honorable, who takes the last penny from the poor wretches, 



THE TRIO'S EXPERIENCES IN IRELAND. 265 

and yet does nothing to improve or elevate tlieir condition. 
Is it at all wonderful that so many of this class leave the 
Emerald Isle to seek a home in " the land of the free ?" 

After passing through many fine towns, we arrived at 
Dublin about four p.m., and secured our favorite carriage 
— a jaunting-car — to convey us to a hotel. After dining, 
took a walk through some of the principal streets of the 
city. 

September 4. — We went out this morning to inspect Dub- 
lin, and heard of a fashionable wedding which was to take 
place in Christ Church Cathedral (Episcopal). We were in- 
vited to attend, and being blessed with a reasonable amount 
of curiosity, and anxious to see how things were done over 
the water, we concluded to present ourselves, so we wended 
our way to the church. We found a vast crowd assembled 
around and in the building, but succeeded in obtaining en- 
trance and very good seats. The groom was Lord Granville 
Gordon, the bride Miss Roe. There was a goodly sprinkling 
of Lords, Ladies, Right Honorables, and other high-sounding 
titles, with diamonds and laces in profusion. Each invited 
guest was presented with a book, bound in blue and gold, 
containing the wedding service and hymns to be used. As 
the bridal party left the church, the groom scattered small 
coins among the crowd gathered outside, much to the edifica- 
tion of a small army of ragged urchins, who yelled, scram- 
bled, and punched each other in a manner wonderful to 
behold. 

On leaving the Cathedral we went to the Royal Bank of 
Ireland ; afterwards to Pym's establishment, famed for poplins. 
This store is after the style of Stewart's, in New York. The 
attendants were most obliging in conducting us through the 
various departments and displaying the goods. We also 
explored Sackville Street, a wide, beautiful thoroughfare, 
containing large, handsome stores, equal to those of Paris 
M 2^ 



266 WE FOUR. 

and London, the display of millinery, lace, silk, and velvet 
goods being remarkably fine. After visiting many of tlie 
prominent buildings we returned to our hotel, tired and 
prepared to enjoy a good dinner. 

September 5. — We left Dublin at ten A.M. in company with 
Dr. U., of New York, and Rev. Dr. S. and lady, of Georgia, 
for Killarney. The country along this line of road appears 
very barren and poor, and gives but little sign of improvement. 
Peat-bogs are numerous in this section, causing our friend 
Dr. R. to remark " that it was all a mistake callins; St. Pat- 
rick the patron saint of Ireland, that it should be St. Peter, 
spelled Peat." 

To obtain the peat or turf, which is a kind of soft, vegeta- 
ble matter, and which burns with a bright, clear light, they 
dig from six to ten feet below the surface, and after the turf 
is removed the land is again cultivated. We noticed great 
quantities of peat piled up, drying for winter use. 

In the bogs, below the peat, are found logs of wood, called 
peat-oak, or bog-wood, which, as many persons believe, were 
trees buried during the flood. These, from being so long 
under the soil, have become quite hard and black. From this 
wood the bog-wood ornaments, pipes and jewelry so much ad- 
mired, are made. " The peat-bogs are the coal mines of Ire- 
land," and were it not for them the poorer classes would be 
without fuel. 

We arrived at Killarney at six o'clock p.m., and drove to 
Muckross Hotel ; but as this house is not on the lake, we re- 
moved, the next morning, to the Lake Hotel, which is situated 
on the Bay of Castlelough, on the eastern shore of the Lower 
Lake, and but a short distance from the water. Here one 
commands a fine view of Mangerton, Tore, Eagle's Nest, Pur- 
ple Mountains, Grienna, Tomies, and Carrantual. The pleasure- 
grounds of the hotel cover sixty acres, and are laid out very 
tastefully. We can recommend this house to all who visit 



THE TRIO'S EXPERIENCES IN IRELAND. 26*7 

Killarney, as it is in a very desirable location. We enjoyed 
a most delightful row over the lakes, in company with our 
friends, Dr. S. and lady and Dr. R. We had a large boat 
and three oarsmen, " natives to the manor born," who took 
particular pains to point out all objects of interest. 

The Lakes of Killarney, the Upper Lake, Lake Muckross, 
and Lough Leane are beautifully surrounded by mountain 
ranges, among which are Mount Tore and the Eagle's Nest, the 
latter rising twelve hundred feet above the water's edge. The 
cliff is covered more than half-way up by the graceful arbutus, 
and it is said eagles still build on its summit. It is here the 
rare " Killarney Fern" is found. 

" The fern ! the fern ! the Irish hill fern, 
That girds our blue lakes from Lough One to Lough Erne ; 
That waves on our crags like the plume of a king, 
And bends like a nun over clear well and spring. 
The fairy's tall palm-tree, the heath birds' fresh nest. 
With the free winds to fan it, and dew-drops to gem, 
Oh, what can you match with its beautiful stem ? 
With a spell on each leaf that no mortal can learn. 
Oh, there never was plant like the Irish hill fern.'* 

In the woods the " red deer" still roam, and stag-hunts often 
take place. 

Our first landing-place was Ross Island, where the O'Don- 
oghue Castle is situated. This is a grand, beautiful ruin, 
completely covered over with ivy. We ascended the time- 
worn, crumbling stone stairway to the topmost point of the 
wall, and gazed spellbound upon the beauty spread out before 
us. 

Our boatmen told us many tales connected with this an- 
cient edifice, one of which runs thus : " Once in seven years 
the ' Last of the O'Donoghues' returns to the castle, when 
it is restored to all its former grandeur, with servants and re- 
tainers without number. This continues for seven days, and 



268 ^V^ FOUR. 

then in the twinkling of an eye the glory departs, and the 
castle is again a ruin." They also pointed out a huge rock 
in the lake, called the " O'Donoghue's Pulpit," from which 
he harangues his clan before taking his departure. We asked 
one of the boatmen if he had ever been so fortunate as to 
witness this wonderful transformation. He replied, " It was 
not for the likes of him to be around when the gentry were 
about." 

We saw also the " Hen and Chickens," which are kept in the 
water to be in readiness for the return of the " Lord of the 
Castle." These are stones, but so close is the resemblance 
that one of our party " wondered what chickens were doing 
in the water." 

On this island is a cottage, surrounded with columns which 
are completely covered with the beautiful and graceful fuchsia 
in full bloom, the flowers being of the largest size and of a 
most brilliant color. 

We were beset by women selling bog-wood jewelry and 
ornaments of various kinds. " Och, buy this pin, and the 
Lord bless you, and take you safe over the water, all for two 
and six," said an old woman to one of our party. 

After drinking in all the beauties of E-oss Island, we again 
took our boat and rowed to Innisfallen. The ruins of this 
Abbey are still in a good state of preservation. It was 
founded in the seventh century by St. Finian. A small 
chapel is still of an earlier date. 

In the centre of the island is a large ash-tree, a deep space 
under the trunk being called the " Friar's Grave." It was 
known that St. Finian was buried on the island, but the exact 
spot could not be ascertained until some years ago, when a 
granite slab was discovered under the roots of the tree, which 
project some distance above the ground. 

St. Finian Lobhar (the leper) was a descendant from the 
Munster Kings, and the " Annals of Innisfallen," in tli j Bod- 



THE TRIO'S EXPERIENCES IN IRELAND. 269 

leian Library, were written by the learned monks wlio lived 
witbin these old walls twelve hundred years ago. 

Innisfallen is a picturesque island in the Lower Lake, and 
is next to Ross Island in size. We lunched at this romantic 
place, and all declared that cold chicken, ham, and bread and 
butter, with various other edibles, never tasted so good as 
when partaken of at " Innisfallen's ruined shrine." 

We gathered here some fine specimens of fern, and also 
the " Dear little Shamrock of Ireland," the " Irish Em- 
blem," used by St. Patrick to illustrate the doctrine of the 
Trinity. He remarked in one of his sermons on that sub- 
ject, " As these three leaves are united in one, so the three 
persons of the Trinity are united in one G-odhead." 

After spending some time on this beautiful spot, and feel- 
ing almost as though at 

"Innisfallen we must pray, 
Though the monks have gone away," 

we again took to the water, and as we caught a last glimpse 
of this lovely isle, we thought : 

"Sweet Innisfallen, fare thee well, 

May calm and sunshine long be thine ! 
How fair thou art let others tell, 
While but to feel how fair is mine." 

Our next stopping-place was Kenmare's Island, on which 
is a beautiful cottage belonging to Lord Kenmare, and in 
which "Her Majesty the Queen" lunched when making a 
tour of Ireland in 1862. The apartments remain as they 
were when occupied by Queen Victoria, but the cottage is 
now used only when Lord Kenmare and his guests visit the 
island. The grounds are quite pretty, and appear to be kept 
with much care. A short distance from Kenmare Cottage is 
a smaller building, which is free to the numerous picnic par- 

23* 



270 WE FOUR. 

ties whicli frequent the island. By permission of tlie gar- 
dener, we gathered a quantity of the beautiful purple and 
white heather, growing in profusion over the rocks, and also 
some ivy leaves, to carry over the Atlantic. 

We went from Kenmare to the " Old Weir Bridge," which 
was built by the Danes, and through which the rapids run. 
Here is the passage from the Upper to the Middle and Lower 
Lakes. This passage, or " shooting the rapids," as it is called, 
is considered quite dangerous, but the boatmen are able to do 
it, even at night, with perfect safety, though a stranger could 
never find the outlet. This is called by the boatmen " Col- 
man's Eye," after an ancient chief of the Upper Lake, who 
is said to have leaped across when defeated and pursued by 
the O'Donoghue, whom he had challenged to single combat. 
His footprints are still shown to the curious, and of course 
look very natural. On looking at this bridge and the rapids, 
we were reminded of the lines : 

" Shoot not the Old Weir, for the river is deep ; 
The stream it is rapid, the rocks they are steep, 
The sky tho' unclouded, the landscape tho' fair, 
Trust not to the current, for death may be there." 

The Long Range, as it is here called, is the most beautiful 
part of Killarney. Here we heard the echo, said to be one 
of the most remarkable in the world, and famed for its repe- 
tition of a bugle-call, which appears to be repeated by hun- 
dreds of bugles, the sound growing fainter and fainter until 
it is finally lost in the distance. At the discharge of a mus- 
ket loud thunder seems to peal from rock to rock, and at last 
dies away among the mountains. We met a boat, the oars- 
men of which were singing, and as "Bold Irish Boy" seemed 
to be the refrain of the song, the echo gave back " Irish 
Boy" with so much efiect that we almost supposed ourselves 
surrounded by " Irish Boys" without number. Some years 



THE TRIO'S EXPERIENCES IN IRELAND. 271 

ago a small cannon was used to awaken the echo for visit- 
ors, but it is now abandoned, on account of several accidents 
having occurred. 

The Meeting of the Waters, where all the lakes unite or join 
together, takes place a little below, giving rise to Moore's 
beautiful poem, " The Meeting of the Waters." And is there 
an individual who has visited this most beautiful spot but 
will agree with the poet, that 

" There is not in this wide world a valley so sweet 
As that vale in whose bosom the bright waters meet" ? 

On all the islands the arbutus-trees hang their branches 
down to the water, while the banks are clothed with ferns, 
long grass, and wild-flowers, many of which are unknown to 
strangers. 

After gazing for some time on this lovely scene, and still 
feeling reluctant to leave so much beauty, we turned home- 
ward, and, passing the Cloisters, Muckross Abbey, and Arbu- 
tus Island, continued our route, and reached the shore as day- 
light was fading, the universal opinion being that " Beauty's 
home is Killarney." 

Our boatmen told us that an Irishman is not allowed to 
carry or own a musket ; and, if his children were starving, 
he dare not shoot any of the wild ducks which fly around, 
or be allowed to fish in the lakes, for that would be encroach- 
ing on the rights of the " Lord of the Manor" ; and yet these 
lords exact the very last farthing in the way of rent and 
taxes from the forlorn objects known as " tenantry." 

We spent a pleasant evening with our friends and some 
Americans whom we met, all agreeing that this day should 
be marked with a white mile-stone, being one of the most 
delightful spent abroad. 

"By Killarney's lakes and fells, 
Mountain-paths and woodland dells, 



272 WE FOUR. 

Memory ever fondly strays. 
Bounteous nature loves all lands, 
Beauty wanders everywhere, 
Footprints leaves on many strands, 
But her home is surety there ! 
Angels fold 'their wings and rest 
In that Eden of the west, 
Beauty's home, Killarney, 
Ever fair Killarney." 

September T. — We left Killarney this morning for Dublin. 
On arriving at Mallow, where the railway connection is made 
for Cork and Queenstown, we witnessed a very affecting parting 
scene between a young Irishman, who was bound for America, 

■^ and his friends. His poor old mother, ragged, bareheaded, 
and shoeless, clung to her son, and wept as though her heart 
would break, the other friends crowding round for a last 
shake of the hand, and weeping violently. It seemed im- 

'fe possible to stop the general wail until the signal was given to 
start the train, and even then the poor old woman climbed up 
on the side of the car and clung to her boy until the speed 
was so great as to oblige her to jump off. The last seen of 

* her, she was weeping and mourning as one who " refused to 
be comforted." 

Dublin^ Sahhath, September 8. — We went this morning to 
St. Patrick's Cathedral (Episcopal), which was built in 450. 
This, as may be supposed, is quite a gem from the an- 
tique, although some parts have been restored at much later 
dates. It contains the tombs of Dean Swift, Samuel Lover, 
and other prominent Irish characters. This church was 
built by the Monk Patrick (not the saint of that name), who 
went from Christ Church Cathedral (Dublin), which dates 
back to the year 439. While St. Patrick's was in progress 
of erection, water being scarce, and converts for baptism 
numerous. Monk Patrick was under the necessity of insti- 
tuting a search for a well, and after digging only four feet 



THE TRIO'S EXPERIENCES IN IRELAND. 273 

below the surface was so fortunate as to discover a spring of 
clear, pure water. This well remains to this day, and is called 
" St. Patrick's Well," the water being still used on baptismal 
occasions. It is related that Cromwell, during his invasion 
of Ireland, stabled the horses of his army in the Cathedral, 
and although a vast quantity of water was used, the supply 
was equal to the demand, the spring continuing to bubble up 
cold and clear as crystal. We were importuned by an old 
verger to take a bottle of the limpid fluid from the Holy 
Well to Philadelphia, as a curiosity, but as we could not de- 
termine whether the custom-house officials would demand 
thirty or sixty per cent, duty, and having already a collection 
of mementos of various kinds, we declined the vial with 
many thanks. The monuments and marble pavement in the 
old part of the building are much defaced in many places, 
said to have been done by the English soldiers when the 
church was used as barracks. The building has been lately 
renovated and improved at the expense of Sir Benjamin 
Guinness, who spent a vast sum of money — over one mil- 
lion dollars — we were told, for that purpose. The music at 
St. Patrick's is remarkably fine ; in the estimation of many 
persons, excelling that at Westminster Abbey. 

We were highly honored by being conducted to seats in 
the Dean's pew, which commands a fine view of the choir 
and congregation, thus giving us an opportunity of observing 
as well as being ourselves observed. After service we spent 
some time in inspecting the building and the numerous old 
tombs which it contains, and then bade adieu to our friend 
the verger, who had been so kind in relating to us the history 
of the Cathedral. 

Dublin boasts of a grand park of eleven hundred and 
seventy acres, called Phoenix Park. It is handsomely laid 
out, contains many fine old trees, and, like all Ireland, beauti- 
ful verdure and flowers of every description. Many of the 



274 WE FOUR. 

walks lead down to the River LifFey, and in tlie distance can 
be seen the mountains of Wicklow. The Phoenix stands on 
an elevated column in the centre of the Park, and is an ob- 
ject of admiration to the residents of the city and the first 
pointed out to strangers. The Hill of Howth, three or four 
miles out of Dublin, is six hundred feet high, extending into 
the water and guarding the entrance to the city. Its sides 
are covered with the beautiful heather, and from the top you 
can command an extensive view of sky, sea, and land. 

Christ Church Cathedral (Episcopal), built in 439, is a fine 
old edifice, and like St. Patrick's has also been repaired, by 
the generosity of Mr. Roe, of Dublin. 

There are many grand buildings in this city, the pride and 
boast of the inhabitants, among them the Bank of Ireland, 
which was formerly the Irish Parliament House. Before 
Great Britain and Ireland were united as one kingdom the 
House of Peers and Commons of Ireland met in this edifice, 
and here their last session was held in 1800. 

We were exceedingly pleased with the " Capital of the 
Irish nation" and its people, and left them with regret, ready 
to agree with their own poet, that 

" Och, Dublin City there is no doubtin' 
Bates every city upon the say." 

September 9. — "We started for the shores of Old England 
at eight o'clock this morning by steamer, for Holyhead, and 
enjoyed the trip across, we three not being at all sea-sick, 
although many were sufi"ering from that most delightful dis- 
order, and disappeared one by one from the deck, until we 
and a few others alone remained to inhale a " stifi" sea-breeze," 
as the captain remarked, and view a cloudless sky. We 
reached Holyhead at four p.m., and took the train for Man- 
chester. 

We had a pleasant ride through Wales, part of it being 



THE TRIO'S EXPERIENCES IN IRELAND. 2*75 

along tlie sea-coast and by tlie Menai Straits, which separate 
the island of Anglesea from Caernarvon, in which county 
stands Conway Castle, that from its picturesqueness, deserves 
to be, as it is, the theme of poets and painters. It was built 
by Edward I., and is one of the grandest of the feudal fort- 
resses that remain in Great Britain, being situated on a pre- 
cipitous rock overlooking the Conway River. The town is 
enclosed with embattled walls, with towers and gateways. But 
this vision of the past is lost in the speed of the present, and 
we made such good time that we arrived in Manchester at ten 
P.M., where we rejoined the other member of our party, and 
resumed our travels as we four. 



PART EIGHTH. 

STRATFORD-UPON-AVON. 

"That sliire which we the heart of England well may call." 

Drayton. 

The wliole route to this renowned spot was one exquisite 
panorama of woods, farms, fields, rivers, lakes, and nestling 
villages ; we had left the manufacturing towns for a while, 
and the eye saw only the beautiful until, passing through Bir- 
mingham, the useful in the way of factories met our gaze ; but 
the situation of the town is so picturesque that even the use- 
ful did not detract from the beautiful. In that city has been 
established a Shakspeare Museum, which all worshippers at 
the shrine of the Bard of Avon should visit before they leave 
a locality so honored. 

We arrived at the close of a beautiful autumnal day, and 
already the wind was nipping our cheeks with the promise of 
a frosty night, and the sun was setting in its yellow, wintry 
splendor. We took the coach for the Bed Horse Inn, because 
it had been highly spoken of, but regretted afterwards that 
we did not stay at the Shakspeare, where the rooms are 
named after the poet's plays. I should have preferred to 
sleep in " All's Well that Ends Well." 

The Bed Horse is a large inn, with a central court-yard, 
and Washington Irving's Parlor was the front room, on the 
right side of the court, — the dining-room was opposite. The 
bedrooms were very comfortable, but the meals were quite 
poor, and we learned that persons who had preceded us there 
sufi'ered in like manner. 
276 



STRA TFORD- UPON- A VON. 211 

Coming down the stairs, hungry and tired, we met the 
waiter, who on seeing ns, drew a poker from a red flannel (^ 
scabbard, in which it had been placed, and laid it in Clio's 
hand. 

" What is this?" she queried. 

" A poker," he answered, indignantly. 

" I have a better one than that at home," replied Clio, turn- 
ing it carelessly with her fingers. 

" Probably you have, but not this poker," he irately said, 
taking the dangerous-looking article from her unappreciative 
hands and handing it to Erato. 

" Whafs in a poker f' she commenced, intending to quote 
Shakspeare most eloquently, when our now exasperated 
waiter pointed to a device upon the poker and shortened 
her " soliloquy." 

" Greoffrey Crayon's sceptre," slowly read Erato. " Who 
was Geofii'ey Crayon? Was he a king?" she asked, with a 
look of innocent wonderment on her face. 

" It is evident you have never read the Sketch Book." 

" Oh, yes," replied Clio, " we have ; but we have no pre- 
dilection for pokers." 

" Only as a means for supper," said Erato. " Is our sup- 
per ready, for we are hungry." 

" It will be shortly, ^^ and our waiter spoke as shortly ; and 
it must have been on account of our incredulity in pokers . 
that our meal was a poor one, so we suffered for our little 
pleasantry not only at supper but at breakfast. 

Washington Irving's Parlor was very neatly arranged, with 
engravings and extracts from newspapers, framed, hanging 
on the walls. The chair in which he often sat, the table 
at which he wrote, and the fire accoutrements he used, all 
were kept in perfect order, but we had no reverence for these 
inanimate objects. The genius we admire lives in its own 
works, not in the furniture another man constructed, nor the 

24 



278 WE FOUR. 

clothes the tailor made. We visited no place in which was 
said to be the original furniture of Shakspeare's home, 
already in two houses; it was sufficient for us that we 
walked the ground that he had trod, that we gazed on scenes 
that he had loved to look upon, that we saw the house in 
which he was born, the school in which he studied, the cot- 
tage in which he wooed and won Anne Hathaway, the church 
in which his bones are buried ; that here he made the ac- 
quaintance of James Burbage, probably one of the family of 
that name residing at Stratford, but in 1577 the leader of the 
Earl of Leicester's players ; also Thomas Green, another resi- 
dent of Stratford, an actor too, who, it is thought by Malone, 
introduced Shakspeare to the theatre in 1586. It was in 
Stratford where the cJiild was born, that the genius of the 
man was developed, for the borough seems to have been well 
patronized by strolling companies of actors, as those of the 
Earls of Warwick and Worcester appeared there in 1577, 
when the future playwright was but a boy and easily impressed 
by the glitter and show of a playhouse. In 1579 a troupe 
under the patronage of the Countess of Essex appeared at 
Stratford, while in 1588 we read of the players of the Earl 
of Berkley and Lord Chandos visiting the town, and the next 
year three other companies, but no account is given under 
what noble patronage thei/ travelled. With these surround- 
ings, with the inimitable reminiscences by Washington Irving 
and Grace Greenwood still in my mind, it seemed as if we 
were walking on consecrated ground. 

We feel very grateful that we look back on September 13, 
1878, as one of the perfect autumnal days that Nature vouch- 
safes to man, and under the beautiful morning, born of the 
frosty night, the town of Stratford-upon-Avon lay clean and 
pure and fresh, a fitting shrine for pilgrims to worship. We 
started under the cloudless azure sky, first through the borough, 
looking at the old Market Hall in the centre of cross-roads, 



STRA TFORD- UPON- A VON. 279 

then at an ancient house on High Street, whose latticed win- 
dows and gabled front and curious carvings reminded us of 
the antique buildings in Strasbourg. The house in which the 
immortal bard first saw the light on April 23, 1564, is situ- 
ated on Henley Street, and has a wide front and a low porch, 
and is devoid of the visage carvings that ornament the older 
house in High Street ; but the exterior has undergone many 
changes, brick being substituted for the original timber-framed 
front, that even this landmark will soon lose its interest to 
visitors. It is a natural concurrence of events to visit next 
the Grammar School, which adjoins the Chapel of the Guild 
of the Holy Cross, of which it forms a part. It is unknown 
when this guild was established, but in 1269 a hospital, a 
chapel, and a school were founded, which were sequestrated 
when monastic institutions were abolished by Henry YIII. 
The chapel is quite an ornament to the town, being of 
the elaborate architecture of Henry YII., but the chancel 
was rebuilt in perpendicular Gothic in 1443, and forms a 
striking contrast to the long, two-story homely building at its 
side, where, under Thomas Hunt and Thomas Erskine, the 
poet received his early education. 

We cannot but regret that " New Place," the home of 
Shakspeare, which he purchased in 1597 from the Clopton 
family, returned to them again by a sale made by Shakspeare's 
gTanddaughter, as, after numerous alterations, the edifice was 
razed to the ground. This site, however, substantiates Shak- 
speare's claims to having been a personage of importance in 
his native town. His father was alderman in 1556, and high- 
bailiff in 1568. His mother was of the ancient family of 
Arden, in "Warwick County, and their coat of arms was im- 
paled with that of the Shakspeare house during the mayor- 
alty of William's father, 1568 ; and a young man who, at 
thirty-four years of age, could have retired from active life 
in an affluent style for those days, certainly deserves more 



280 WE FOUR. 

credit than the reputation of a poacher, spendthrift, frequenter 
of London ale-houses, or unfaithfulness to the woman he had 
married for love, although several years his senior. A thea- 
tre has been built upon the ground of the " New Place," — a 
fitting tribute for such a spot, — but it is but a small building, 
and will sink into insignificance before the edifice that is still 
in course of erection, — the Shakspeare Memorial, — which owes 
its being to the ready thought and persevering energy of Grace 
Greenwood. This is to be museum, library, school of dra- 
matic art, and will be an honor as well as a useful tribute to 
the place. One story alone was completed at our visit, which, 
I understood, was intended for the lecture-room. We could 
see the outline while standing in the church-yard looking over 
the gray wall at the current of the beautiful Avon, which 
flowed beneath us. The stone bridge of many piers which 
crosses the river owes its erection to Sir Hugh Clopton, Mayor 
of London about the year 1586, as the Church of the Holy 
Trinity does its beauty to John of Stratford, Archbishop of 
Canterbury. The latter building is approached from the town 
by an avenue of lime-trees ; but, after walking beneath its 
shady covert, we lingered in the old graveyard, and from its 
wall, watched the swans sailing majestically on the calm bosom 
of the Avon. The building is cruciform, of the early Eng- 
lish type, and is of different centuries. The tower is square 
and low, and has circular windows of the most delicate 
carving. This was built in 1120, but it is now surmounted 
by an octagonal spire, erected in 1764, which makes the 
height of tower and spire one hundred and sixty-three feet, 
about one hundred and twenty more than at its first build- 
ing. The nave dates back to 1400, the vestry-room to 
1300 ; the choir, about 1480, was rebuilt by Dr. Thomas 
Ralshall, warden of the adjacent college ; the transept was 
restored by the executors of Sir Hugh Clopton. The latter 
contains some very old and curious tombs. Sir Thomas 



STRA TFORD- UPON- A VON. 281 

Crombie and wife lie tere in eflfigy, with inscriptions on their 
sarcophagi extolling their virtues. Two other tombs, whose 
inmates' names I could not decipher, are colored in that odi- 
ous style of the sixteenth century which renders the figures 
more like caricatures than representatives. The chancel, in 
which Shakspeare, wife, and daughter lie, is in the early per- 
pendicular style of English architecture. It has five large 
windows on each side, and one near the bust of Shakspeare, 
— the great east window is receiving its stained lights by 
contributions from American citizens, representing the 
" Seven Ages of Man," scripturally illustrated. Only five 
had thus far been placed, — Moses in the bulrushes, Samuel 
studying under Eli the priest, Jacob as the lover of Rachel, 
David as a warrior, Abraham the patriarch. What the re- 
maining two are to be, the future visitor can tell better than 
I. The oaken stalls for the choristers are quite grotesquely 
carved, and the sedilia inside the chancel railing is of stone. 
The flat stones which mark the graves of Shakspeare and 
family were once outside of the railing, but the tread of feet 
of the congregation, partaking of the Eucharist, wearing the 
inscriptions away, induced the vestry to move the balustrade 
outside of the tombs. 

It is with difficulty now that one can decipher the quaint 
lines that were carved over Shakspeare's grave : 

"GOOD FREND FOR JESUS SAKE FORBEARE 
TO DIGa THE DUST ENCLOASED HEARE ; 
BLESTE BE Y= MAN Y^ SPARES THES STONES 
AND CURST BE HE Y» MOVES MY BONES." 

About five feet above this stone, on the wall, is placed the 
poet's monument. It is a shrine, between the pillars of which 
is a bust of Shakspeare. His arms rest upon a cushion, and 
in his right hand is a pen, with which he is represented as 
just writing upon a scroll of paper, which lies carelessly be- 



282 WE FOUR. 

Death his left hand. This was colored, " the lower part of 
the cushion being crimson, the upper part green, with gilt 
tassels. The poet's dress was a scarlet doublet, over which 
was a sleeveless black gown. His hair and beard were au- 
burn, and his eyes a light hazel." Time destroyed the bril- 
liancy of the hues, and in 1748 they were carefully restored 
by John Ward's company of actors, but in 1*793 they were 
obliterated by a coat of white paint, with a brush in the 
hands of Mr. Malone. One writer says, " Whitewashing 
the poet's bust was Malone's atonement for having attempted 
to blacken his reputation." A few years ago, however, this 
act of vandalism was effaced by some admirer of the poet's 
genius, and the bust greeted our eyes in its original tints, 
though sadly dimmed by the past cruel usage. Beneath the 
cushion is this Latin inscription : 

" Ivdicio Pylivm, genio Socratem, arte Maronem, 
Terra tegit, popvlvs moeret, Olympvs habet." 

Then in English, beneath the Latin, these lines: 

"Stay, passenger, why goest thov by so fast? 
Read, if tbov canst, whom enviovs death hath plast 
Within this monvment : Shakspeare, with whome 
Quick natvre dide ; whose name doth deck y^ tombe, 
Far more than cost; sith all y* he hath writt 
Leaves living art bvt page to serve his witt. 
Obiit, ano. doi. 1616. 
^tatis 53, die 23 Ap." 

Above the bust is Shakspeare's coat of arms, which I will 
describe according to heraldic terms. 

" Or, on a bend sable, a tilting spear of the first, point up- 
wards, headed argent." 

For the crest, " a falcon displayed, argent, supporting a 
spear in pale or." 

On each side is a figure of a boy in a sitting position ; one 



STRA TFORD- UPON- A VON. 283 

holds a spade, tlie otlier, with closed eyes, rests his right 
hand on a skull, while the left clasps an inverted torch. 
Surmounting all is a death's head. This mural monument 
to Shakspeare was erected in 1619, and is supposed to have 
been carved by Thomas Stanton, an English sculptor of no 
small renown. 

Receiving directions from the courteous gray-haired sexton 
for our walk to Shottery, the pretty village, within a mile of 
Stratford, in which Anne Hathaway resided, we let our fancy 
roam back three hundred years and imagined the lover on 
that level country road, crossing the stile, taking the narrow 
path through the fields, lingering'by the babbling brook (over 
which a rustic bridge has been thrown), and finally reaching 
the embowered cottage where dwelt his mistress. It has 
been divided into two tenements, and no descendant of the 
family occupies it ; so, as one feels a reluctance to intrude 
upon family privacy, we contented ourselves with looking 
over the English hedge at the well-arranged kitchen-garden 
and then going back to the brookside, thought of the mur- 
mured words of love that had mingled with its rippling waters 
as the poet strayed on its picturesque banks with Anne Hatha- 
way. We took the turnpike route back to Stratford, for, 
let me whisper it softly to you, and " tell it not in G-ath, nor 
publish it in Askelon," that having passed safely, though 
timidly, through a herd of cattle in the lovely pasture-fields, 
we were afraid to venture back. On our return home we 
passed the mansion of an English gentleman, whose verdant 
park was studded with graceful deer, and reminded us of 
what Charlecote, the residence of Sir Thomas Lucy, must 
have been in Shakspeare's early days. 

There are several sites distinguished as memorials of the 
poet's life, such as Welcombe, the dwelling-place of John-a- 
Combe, a usurer, of whom Shakspeare extemporized such a 
severe epitaph : 



284 WE FOUR. 

"Ten in the hundred the devil allows, 
But Combe will have twelve he swears and he vows. 
If any one asks, who lies in this tomb ? 
Ha ! quoth the devil, 'tis my John-a-Combe." 

A crab-apple tree between Bidford and Stratford, under 
wbicli tradition says the poet lay drunk one night after a 
tippling combat between tbe youths of the two villages, is 
also shown to visitors ; whether it is the original tree, I think. 
is rather doubtful. 

But we are too satisfied at having stood by his grave to 
listen to traditionary tales of his roystering boyish life ; so, 
returning to our hotel, we made friends again with our poher 
waiter by our appreciation of Stratford-upon-Avon and 
Washington Irving's Parlor in the Bed Horse Inn, and only 
regret that he did not set before us a good meal, for draughts 
from the inspiriting atmosphere of Genius make one physi- 
cally hungry. However, mentally refreshed, we took the 
train again, and after a short ride stopped at Warwick, 
another exquisite English village, on the right bank of the 
Avon. Between the town and the river, on a precipitous 
cliff, stands Warwick Castle, the most magnificent feudal 
fortress in England that can still be used as a residence ; its 
gray turrets towered against the deep-blue sky from above 
the green foliage that surrounded it. Tradition says it was 
founded by the daughter of King Alfred, Ethelfleda by name, 
but its most interesting history rests with the famous Gruy, 
Earl of Warwick, whose gigantic sword is shown to visitors, 
together with other military equipments of those early days. 
The family portraits are to be seen down to the present earl, 
who only came of age a year ago, and who gave a grand fete 
to his retainers on that memorable occasion. In the garden 
stands the Warwick Vase, a recollection of Italian days, as it 
was found in the depths of a lake near Tivoli. 

Leamington, in the same shire as Warwick, was our next 



LONDON. 285 

station. It is a fashionable watering-place, as its springs of 
water are chalybeate, sulphurous, and saline. We had not 
time to visit Oxford, although it tempted us by its beautiful 
situation, surrounded by wooded meadows, with the Chiltern 
Hills in the distance, and the Cherwell Eiver, on which the 
Oxford crew trained for boat-races, lying so calmly in the 
autumn sun. 

The University, consisting of nineteen colleges and five 
halls, dating back to 872, the Cathedral of the twelfth and 
sixteenth centuries, and the ancient castle, all seen from the 
railway, gave an impressiveness of age and wisdom to the 
town that it well deserves. It was no slight defection to 
leave Oxford and stop at Banbury and warble softly to one's 
self: 

" Ride a cock-horse 
To Banbury cross, 
And see an old woman 
Upon a white horse; 
Rings on her fingers, 
Bells on her toes. 
She shall have music 
Wherever she goes." 

A jingle from the famous Mother Goose's melodies that 
would haunt us until we left Banbury and its far-famed 
cakes — which, I may as well mention here, are very good — in 
the distance, and arrived at Beading, which is as well known 
for its biscuits as the old woman of Banbury was for the 
cakes upon whose manufacture she made a fortune. 

We came into London by the way of Vauxhall, which is 
no longer in the suburbs, so as to be a resort for persons 
wishing to leave the smoky city ; it is a portion of London, 
and is sadly degenerated from its early days of garden enter- 
tainments. As we wished to take board on the Strand, No. 
5 Norfolk Street, our coachman drove on the Thames Em- 
bankment, a spacious thoroughfare between Westminster 



286 WE FOUR. 

Bridge and Blackfriars' Bridge, whicli gave us a fine view 
of Cleopatra's Needle, which had been erected during our 
absence, as we had left it in a recumbent position on our 
departure. It does not appear to as good an advantage 
as the one in Paris does ; the pedestal is either not high 
enough or the site itself is too low. Standing on London 
Bridge, it appears to be .on a level with the Houses of 
Parliament, which detracts from its columnar proportions. 
Its position has been the subject of criticism by all the 
London newspapers, and probably some arrangement can 
be effected that might relieve it from its present stumpy 
appearance. 

Having visited the Zoological Gardens of Paris, we thought 
we must not neglect those of London, as being the finest in the 
world ; so on Saturday afternoon, September 14, 1878, we 
wended our way thitherward. They are situated in Begent's 
Park, and belong to the Zoological Society, instituted in 1826 
by Sir Humphry Davy, Sir Stamford Baffles, and others as 
like eminent. The gardens were opened in 1828, and are di- 
vided into sixty-four compartments, which are arranged in a 
very picturesque manner, for one passes through rocky tun- 
nels, over natural bridges, and bridges of art, through ro- 
mantic ravines, into sequestered nooks, on verdant terraces, 
always seeing some curious specimen from the animal world. 
There were six elephants, a young lion, several antelopes 
and fawns, and a tiger, presented by the Prince of Wales 
on his return from his East India trip. The gardens had 
several elephants previous to his gift, one of which is used 
for carrying the children-visitors around the grounds. Un- 
like Paris, however, the English ladies and gentlemen con- 
sidered it derogatory to their dignity to enjoy a ride on a 
dromedary or an elephant, so they were only patronized by 
the children. The band of the First Begiment of Life 
Guards discoursed some very fine and classic music for the 



LONDON. 287 

pleasure of the visitors, of wliich a regular programme was 
printed and distributed. 

Being on tlie Strand, we had a mucli better view of the 
last gateway of Temple Bar, which relic probably now no 
longer exists, and which, we are happy to say, we saw before 
its entire demolition. The oaken gates were erected in 1670 
by Christopher Wren, on the site of a house destroyed in 
the great fire of 1666, and it was considered the dividing line 
between the city of London and the outlying district of 
Westminster. It was long the custom, from Queen Eliza- 
beth's time, to close the gates when the sovereign paid a visit 
to the city, and only opened after a formal demand by the 
herald, when the lord mayor presents the city-sword to the 
royal personage, which is immediately returned, and the court 
retinue enter the city. The heads of persons executed for 
high treason were placed upon iron spikes on the top of the 
Bar, and the last thus exhibited were the heads of Townley 
and Fletcher, who were implicated in the rebellion of 1745, 
and the skulls remained there for twenty-seven years. In 
what was Shire Lane, once the home of Sedley, the poet, 
Ashmole, the antiquarian, and Christopher Katt, the origi- 
nator of the Kit-Kat Club, is now the New Courts of Law, an 
ornate building, very spacious, and a decided improvement to 
that section of the city, which is full of memories of Dr. John- 
son, Goldsmith, Sir Isaac Newton, Cobbett, and Richardson. 

I wished to attend service in the Old Temple Church, but 
it was closed for the summer. It is considered the oldest 
church edifice in London , the circular front dating back to 1 1 85, 
the enlargement to 1200 ; it is planned after the Church of the 
Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem, and was the chief ecclesiastical 
edifice of the Knights Templar in Britain, and is now the place 
of worship for the lawyers of the Inner and Middle Temples. 
The latter hall was built in 1562, but has received many altera- 
tions since, and is the only edifice now standing in which a 



288 WE FOUR. 

play of Shakspeare's was acted during the poet's lifetime. 
This was the Twelfth Night. What a transition from the 
bustle and glare of the city into this sequestered spot, with 
its quadrangular garden of five acres handsomely laid out, 
its cloistered walks, its buildings of Norman and Gothic archi- 
tecture, and its many historic and literary recollections ! The 
name Temple is derived from the Knights Templar, who 

. moved here from Holborn in 1184, and the Knights Hos- 
pitaller of St. John of Jerusalem demised it to certain law 
students who wished to live away from the noise of the city. 
The property is now vested into the incorporated society of 
the " Students and Practisers of the Laws of England." 
We were desirous of hearing the distinguished preacher 

li Spurgeon before leaving the city, and therefore took Sunday 
morning, September 15, for another visit to the Tabernacle. 
Fearing a difficulty in the way of obtaining an omnibus when 
we reached Waterloo Bridge, we concluded to take a carriage, 
and thus give us an opportunity of obtaining a good seat in 
the chapel. Where we are now staying we find ourselves sur- 
rounded not only by churches but theatres. Of the former, 

* we have St. Bride's, St. Mary Le Savoy, St. Mary Le Bow, 
the Temple of which I spoke, and Old St. Paul's. Of the 

^ latter, Adelphi, Theatre Royal, "Folly," Lyceum, G-aiety, 
Opera Comique, The Strand, and the Yaudeville. But here 
comes a four-wheeler, so we will engage that for the Taber- 
nacle. On stepping from the carriage we were met by a man, 
who said to us, " Ladies, if you will contribute something to 
the ' Society for the Education of Young Men for the Min- 
istry' you can go in the side-door and have good seats." 
Knowing that a crowd was always gathered in the Metropol- 
itan Tabernacle, we were willing to give towards the young 
men's assistance for a suitable recompense, particularly as the 
front doors were closed, and a motley assemblage was already 
gathered before it. I do not think our charity, although for 



LONDON. 289 

a laudable object, was induced by a laudable motive, hence its 
reward. We placed in an envelope, which we sealed, our 
contribution, were politely shown in by a side-door, and con- 
ducted to seats against the wall, as far away from the pulpit 
as possible, while the main body of the church was still 
empty. The ragged man, who ushered us in, needed the 
money we had given to the society much more than it did, 
but the " milk of human kindness" in our breasts was soured, 
and his hole-ly garments appealed in vain. We. demanded 
the reason why the good seats were not forthcoming, but were 
told the centre was kept for the church members. We con- 
sidered that perfectly correct, but we have had very serious 
doubts since, if that mode of raising money for the " Society 
for Educating Young Men for the Ministry" does not partake 
very much of the nature of a swindle, and we are certain that 
our donation did not receive a blessing from the Lord, either 
in its bestowal or in its subsequent use. 

Mr. Spurgeon's sermon — text, St. Matthew i. 21 — was not 
by any means a remarkable piece of eloquence, but suited to 
the capacity of those who daily listened to him. It was the 
simple gospel of Christ, excepting he made use of clap-traps 
in order to gain attention. One of his anecdotes, of which 
I can only say I saw no connection with the drift of the ser- 
mon, was in regard to the unsuitable choice of names for 
children by fond and doting parents. He said he was passing 
through a graveyard, and, as was his wont, reading the names 
and epitaphs inscribed on stones, of those who were sleeping 
beneath the sod. On one he read : 

" Sacred to tlic memory of our 
Dear departed Methusaleh, 
Aged three months." 

Mr. Spurgeon thought the connection between name and age 

incongruous at least, but could the sponsors foresee its early 

death ? 

N 25 



290 WE FOUR. 

On leaving tlie cliapel we trusted ourselves to the tender 
mercy of an omnibus conductor, wlio promised to take us 
almost to our door, which he did almost, within the radius of 
six squares, when we could have taken one that would have 
brought us to the corner of Norfolk Street. 

Query : What interest have the conductors of omnibuses 
that they lie ? For this very man was obliged to refuse four 
other ladies to enter for want of room, when probably they 
knew better than we, their destination. 

In returning we passed the Somerset House, once the site 
of a palace commenced by the Protector Somerset in 1547, 
but who was beheaded in 1552, and therefore did not see its 
completion. It was demolished after being the residence 
of several royal persons, and in 1776 the present building, 
after a design of Sir William Chambers, was erected, costing 
half a million pounds. 

The river front is eight hundred feet in length, and the 
river terrace is fifty feet wide, and elevated fifty feet above the 
bed of the stream. The Strand front is one hundred and fifty- 
five feet long, having three arcades leading into a quadrangle 
three hundred and nineteen feet by two hundred and twenty- 
four feet. It is said there are three thousand six hundred 
windows in Somerset House, and nine hundred persons receive 
employment here, as it contains the ofiices of the Registrar- 
Greneral, the apartments of the Astronomical and Statistical 
Societies, the Audit Office, the Inland Revenue Office, and 
others of a minor character. The quadrangle contains a bronze 
gTOup, which consists of George III., with a rudder, a lion, and 
an emblematical figure of the Thames ; the central water-gat-e 
is surmounted by a colossal mask, also emblematic of the river. 

The South Kensington Museum occupied Monday, and we 
found it more interesting than the British Museum. It is 
situated at Brompton, one mile from Hyde Park Corner, and 
from our experience of Sunday we would only take the regii- 



LONDON. 291 

lar Brompton coach, although coaxed by many others to test 
their truthfulness in the matter of vicinity. We ignored 
the Patent Office, and entered the Architectural Department, 
where there were specimens or casts of the most curious 
buildings in the world, — there was the model of the pillar at 
Koslyn Chapel, the doorways of a gigantic temple at St. Sal- 
vador, South America, a pulpit from the temple at Delhi. 
Passing from this large collection, which it would take hours 
to describe, I noticed in another apartment iron screens from 
Hampton Court and a photograph of the Bayeux tapestry 
worked by Queen Matilda and her maidens, representing the 
entrance into Britain of her husband, William the Conqueror. 
The original was placed in the convent portion of the Ba- 
yeux Cathedral by Bishop Odo. It was two hundred and 
thirty feet long, and to our modern tastes very grotesque in 
design. 

Passing into the Manuscript Boom, we were attracted by 
an autograph letter from Macready to Forster, with his acting 
copy of Virginius, also an acting copy of Shakspeare, with 
Kean's letter. Dickens's manuscripts, together with those 
of Coleridge, Shelley, and other poets, being parts of the 
Forster collection. The Earl Spencer's collection consisted 
of the portraits of his family ; Edmund Kean, painted by 
J. Halle ; John Kemble ; David Grarrick, painted by Wool- 
idge ; Macready as Macbeth, and Kean as Sir Giles Overreach. 
The Dyce collection was of rare books and paintings, the 
latter being the choice ones of Murillo and Da Yinci. The 
former's " Savoyard Boy," which has been so often copied, 
belonged to this series. Here we also saw the celebrated 
cartoons of Baphael, which, together with the screens I have 
mentioned, have been transferred from Hampton Court. The 
original drawings were ten in number, made by Baphael, in 
1513 and 1514, with chalk upon paper and afterwards colored 
in distemper, so that Pope Leo X. might have them copied 



292 W^ FOUR. 

in Arras tapestry. Two sets were made, one of which still 
hangs in the Vatican ; the second set was presented to Henry 
YIII., at that time Defender of the Faith. It was sold to 
Spain after the death of Charles I., but in 1823 an English 
gentleman bought it, and it was once more installed in Eng- 
land. Its destiny, however, was not to remain there, and 
it is supposed to be somewhere in Germany. Of the cartoons 
— there are only seven left — their history is more definite ; 
these were purchased by Charles I., but when the royal col- 
lection was sold on his death, Cromwell bought them for three 
hundred pounds. George III. removed them to Buckingham 
Palace, then to Windsor ; after twenty years' duration there, 
they were hung in a gallery built expressly for them by Wren 
in the palace at Hampton, but in 1873 they were taken to 
this museum, where we hope, after such vicissitudes of for- 
tune, they may be allowed to remain. 

Tuesday^ September 17, 1878. — Taking the South-Western 
Hallway we had studied, was the most expeditious way of 
reaching Hampton Court. It was the residence of Cardinal 
Wolsey, in Middlesex, on the north bank of the Thames, 
twelve miles from Hyde Park, and covers eight acres of 
ground. The cardinal presented it to Henry VIII. when 
he discovered that his sovereign viewed its magnificence with 
a jealous eye. The scenery was of the lovely lowland type, 
and our ride though short was pleasant. But we were beset 
after crossing the bridge from the station by rival hotel-keepers, 
endeavoring to make us promise that we would stop at each 
restaurant on our return to dine. We declined making any 
rash promises, Erato saying that we were not sure of ever 
returning. To which remark one man gallantly, or per- 
haps mercenarily, said; "I hope for your return." We 
dined at his house on our way back to the station, simply 
because, being the most energetic of the rivals, he met us up 
the road and escorted us in triumph to his dining-room. It 



HAMPTON COURT. 293 

was very amusing to see his white-aproned figure dancing out 
of his door waving his large napkin before every pedestrian 
like a sional-flas;. 

The magnificent residence of the cardinal appeared to us 
like an almshouse or a hospital, being of brick in the quad- 
rangular form, and no elaborate carving to please the eye. We 
were very much disappointed, as we had been at Versailles, 
but, like that palace, on entering, the handsome interior makes 
one forget the homeliness of the exterior. Passing the low 
buildings used as barracks by the soldiers stationed here, 
We witnessed an inspection drill of seven men by a command- 
ing officer, which occupied about a few minutes, exercise suf- 
ficient for the rest of the day. One wing of Hampton Court 
has been assigned by the Queen for the home of decayed 
gentlewomen, widows of eminent men, and pensioners on the 
Queen's bounty. Lady Havelock resides here, and we saw the 
name of Lady Hill on the door leading to her apartments and 
on her garden-chair. One lady went out at the same time 
with us, who walked with a cane, being lame, and was dressed 
according to the prevailing English fashion, in a sky-blue silk 
with a long train, and a white lace shawl around her shoulders^ 
and a Leghorn hat and feather. This was a travelling costume 
for a morning's ride in the cars ! Leaving the barracks, we 
entered the quadrangle formed by the building, and crossing 
this, we reached an arched passage, and entered first the Clock 
Court. On its towers are terra-cotta busts of some of the 
Roman emperors, — a present from Leo X. to the cardinal. 
The next court is called " The Fountain Court," from the 
beautiful marble basin of water in the centre, and on its walls 
are paintings by Laguerre, representing the twelve labors of 
Hercules. The difi"erent apartments once occupied by royalty, 
now hung with pictures by Titian, Holbein, Vandyke, Bas- 
sano, Lely, and others of lesser merit, are divided into the 
First Presence Chamber, Second Presence Chamber, Audience 

25* 



294 WE FOUR. 

Chamber, King's Drawing-Room, William III.'s Bedroom, 
containing Queen Charlotte's state bed, — the clock at its head 
goes twelve months without winding ; the pictures of the 
Windsor beauties of the court of Charles II., painted by 
Lely, are hung here ; Dressing-Hoom, Writing-Closet, Queen 
Mary's Closet, Queen Mary's Gallery, containing four portraits 
of Queen Elizabeth, — one when a child, then a young woman, 
then in fancy dress, and her last portrait ; the Queen's Bed- 
room, containing Queen Anne's state bed, — ^the velvet fur- 
niture and hangings being of Spitalfields manufacture ; the 
Queen's Drawing-Room^ which gives a splendid view from the 
window of the avenue of lime-trees and the canal for three- 
quarters of a mile, and Kingston Church in the distance ; 
the Queen's Audience Chamber, containing some very curious 
paintings by Holbein, representing scenes in the life of Henry 
VIII. From there to the Public Dining-Room, then to the 
Prince of Wales's Presence Chamber, next to what was once 
his Drawing-Room, and then to his Bedroom, containing pic- 
tures of the families of Georges II., III., and IV. We saw 
the state beds of William III. and Mary, and that of George 
II., and then reached the gallery where once hung Raphael's 
cartoons, but whose titles I did not give in my account of 
them. The finest is "St. Paul Preaching at Athens," the 
remainder are : " The Death of Ananias," " Elymas struck 
with Blindness," " Peter and John Healing the Lame Man," 
" The Miraculous Draught of Fishes," " Christ's Charge to 
Peter," and " Paul and Barnabas at Lystra." We saw in the 
Portrait Gallery the likeness of Queen Henrietta Maria's 
dwarf, Sir Jeffrey Hudson, painted by Mytens. His life had 
been an eventful one : he had been served up at a dinner 
party in a pie ; he had been sold as a slave in Barbary ; he 
served as captain of horse in the civil wars ; fought a duel 
and killed his opponent ; died in prison at the age of sixty- 
three, where he had been immured on account of being in 



HAMPTON COURT. 295 

the Popish Plot of 1682. Next came the Queen's Guard 
Chamber, Anteroom, and Presence Chamber, through which 
we went quickly, and returned to the quadrangle to enter 
" The G-reat Hall," which Henry YIII. completed when he 
made Anne Boleyn queen. It is in the Gothic style, with 
figures clad in mail around in niches, and the roof richly 
carved with the arms of Henry. The oriel window at the 
south bears the armorial device of Jane Seymour, as well as 
those of the king, also of the several bishoprics held by 
Wolsey. Six windows contain the coat of arms of each of 
Harry's six wives ; the other seven bear his own heraldic 
devices. The tapestry on the wall gives in eight scenes the 
life of Abraham, — it is the work of some Flemish artist un- 
known ; but as you ascend from the stairway, the tapestry at 
the entrance shows a greater age ; it personifies Justice and 
Mercy pleading before judges. This hall is one hundred and 
six feet long, forty wide, and sixty high, and we can now 
realize tho covetousness of King Henry, when a subject could 
surround himself with so much splendor of decorations and 
carvings. 

Tradition gives this as the hall in which Shakspeare played 
before Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen. It was here that the 
play of Henry VIII. was enacted before George I. The 
very spot on which the real tragedy of Wolsey's fall reached 
its culmination became the mimic theatre ! In the With- 
drawing Koom, an excellent portrait of the cardinal is empan- 
elled over the marble fireplace. In this palace Edward VI. 
was born ; Queen Mary spent her honeymoon here with her 
Spanish bridegroom. Queen Elizabeth spent a portion of 
time here, as also did James I., and the remarkable confer- 
ence between the State clergy and the Presbyterian divines 
took place in this edifice. James I.'s wife died here, and 
during the plague of 1625 Charles I. and Henrietta retired 
from London to this court. 



296 WE FOUR. 

One of Oliver Cromwell's daughters was married from this 
palace, and one died within its walls. William III. enlarged 
it, and laid out the park and gardens, in the manner which 
is criticised, as Dutch. I must own that the Dutch style was 
rather pleasing. His queen loved this spot, and spent most 
of her time here in needle-work. Gleorge II. was the last 
sovereign who made it a residence. 

We regretted that we had not time to linger long in the 
" Dutch Garden,^^ with its curious Maze in the portion desig- 
nated as the Wilderness. The avenue of lime-trees I spoke of 
as presenting a beautiful vista from the window ; a conserva- 
tory contains very large orange-trees, and a vinery, a black 
Hamburg, which is said to be the largest in Europe, were at- 
tractive scenes. The vinery has been very productive, some 
years yielding twenty-five hundred bunches. But the avenues 
with the noble trees enclosing the green sward at the side 
with beds of rare flowers dotting its verdure, have obliterated 
from our remembrance the dull exterior view of Hampton 
Court. It is truly a lovely spot to end one's days, as those 
old ladies will do, who have spent their younger hours in 
palaces as belles and amid the historic haunts of old England, 
thus to live their lives over again in mutual reminiscences or 
hearing of the honors gained by the present peeresses in the 
Court of St. James. 



PART NINTH. 

RETURNING. 
" We're homeward bound, homeward bound." 

This is to be, September 17, our last entire day in London, 
for a while at least, so we must make good use of it, and for 
a woman to make good use of time, is to go a shopping, so a 
shopping we went. Clio must have a tin box, like all the 
Englishwomen carry in travelling. She had insinuated tin 
box, hinted thi hox, avowed tin box, decided tin box. 

" What will you do with it when you have it at home? 
American ladies do not carry tin boxes." 

" I shall use it as a bread-box," she answered, triumphantly. 

We succumbed to this ; a masculine tongue might argue 
away this domestic sophistry, but a feminine eye saw economy 
in a bread-box. 

So we concluded to walk to the Strand by the way of Hol- 
born, thence on to Threadneedle Street, visit our dear friends 
Brown and Shipley, in Founder's Court, Lothbury, and pick 
up whatever notions we thought we would like on our way, 
such as tin boxes, etc. 

One of our subjects of wonderment during our stay in 
London was the very poor taste evinced by the English ladies 
in regard to dress ; we, charitably, laid their unartistic appear- 
ance to the variableness of climate, but candidly think 
weather is a poor argument for lawn dresses and velvet polo- 
naises, the latter trimmed with common lace, and heavy furs 
in summer-time are certainly not the apparel of necessity. 
The reserve and hauteur of the English people were more 
N^ 297 



298 WE FOUR. 

apparent to us after the warm hospitality and ready speech of 
the Irish and the volubility of the French, and only twice 
had we the satisfaction of arousing a Londoner from his 
immobility, although both incidents were entirely unpre- 
meditated. 

Once we were taking our usual walk to the bankers, and 
remarking upon the public buildings, Pomona said, " Now, 
there's the Bank of England " 



" Why, my dear, that's St. Paul's !" was instantly remarked 
by a gentleman passing. 

" I know that ; thank you, sir," was the reply. " I was 
only speaking about the bank as an edifice." 

" Beg pardon, madam," and lifting his hat, as English gen- 
tlemen invariably do when speaking to a lady, walked on. 

If we had wanted to be informed of our whereabouts, we 
would have been querying on all sides before we could have 
obtained it. Another time Clio burst out laughing at an 
amusing episode of Erato's, and a remark by a passer-by, 
" What a hearty laugh .^" recalled her to the fact that she 
was in a city of sombre visages, where even a smiling coun- 
tenance provoked a stare. 

Going lazily along Southampton Bow, where hansoms and 
four-wheelers were ranged in single-file like a funeral, we no- 
ticed one very similar to an old stage-coach, and heading the 
line like a veteran of coaches. A brilliant idea seized Erato, 
and calling the driver, she asked him his fare to Fen Church 
Station for four ladies, four trunks, and hand-luggage. 

" Six shillings, ma'am.^^ 

" What will you ask for the same party to the head of 
Tidal Basin, Victoria Docks ?" 

" Eleven shillin's, ma'am," was the reply. 

We saw at once the trouble this arrangement would save 
us, — once in the coach, no more jumping in and out with 
sundry parcels, but be safely landed on the Italy. 



RETURNING. 299 

" For my part, I shall be thankful when I can lay this bur- 
den of luggage down. I do not mean literally as much as 
figuratively, for I find myself counting parcels in my sleep, 
until my brain is weary," said one of us four. 

" We'll engage that coach ; bring a man to help you with 
the boxes, ^^ as they say in England, " and be sure to be at 
No. 15 Brunswick Square exactly at eleven o'clock, and have 
something to cover over our baggage in case of rain." 

It was well the last suggestion was made, for rain it did on 
that eventful day of September 18 when we four started 
away from London, with the song of " Home, Sweet Home,^^ 
fluttering on our lips and nestling closely in our bosoms. 

Rain ! aye, marry, rai7i ; like the memorable 18tli of June 
in Philadelphia, so fell the rain in London on the 18th of 
September. Two hours and a half's ride with the cab-win- 
dows closed was not a pleasant sensation, but we were old 
travellers now and bore discomforts with equanimity. 

" There's the Seamen's Rest I We must be near the Vic- 
toria Docks." 

" Yes, and the Mariner's Bethel !" 

So we talked ; but on, on we went ; passed sailors' homes 
and mariners' rests and seamen's bethels, dog's-meat estab- 
lishments, cat's-meat establishments (for these are special in- 
dustries in London, the venders supplying private families 
with meat for their domestic animals), until we thought Lon- 
don one avenue of wharves or a depthless mercantile whirl- 
pool. But here we are at last, the flag-ship Italy looking 
more immense beside one of the neat but smaller craft of 
the Anchor Line that lay within a few feet of the national 
bark. Still the rain cometh down, and our " hexes'^ remain 
on the quay, becoming more and more wet, as the ofiicers of 
the company must finish their dinners before they can be 
taken aboard. We had passed on our way an open wagon 
full of people dressed in bright colors and without umbrel- 



300 WE FOUR. 

las, so tliat the artificial flowers in their hats were beginning 
to look faded and the ribbons limp. Standing on the deck 
of the Italy, we saw this same wagon approaching, and 
^learned that two of its occupants were going to seek their 
fortune in America, and had taken passage in the steerage. 
There was one woman there who had left the United States, 
so we were told by the stewardess, as a first-class passenger 
about one year ago, but had squandered her money in Europe, 
and now was going back to retrieve her fallen fortunes, to the 
* only country in which she could be sure of a living for herself 
and two children, — this America, the Paradise of the poor. 

How difi"erent were the two startings ! We left New 
York amid cheers and smiles, every one wishing us " bon 
voyage." It was a pleasure-trip for the saloon passengers 
and for the steerage. If those of the latter were not going 
on a visit, they were returning, comfortably clad and well 
supplied, to live in their native land. 

But it was a sad sight to leave Victoria Docks, London. 
^ The steerage comprised one hundred and eleven souls seek- 
ing a land where this poverty that clung to them like an in- 
cubus could be shaken off; where life had some attractions 
beyond the mere sickly toil that seemed to be their birth- 
right ; and those who stood on shore and blessed their de- 
parture with trembling hands, and bade them farewell with 
tear-stained faces, knew that the eternal fiat had gone forth, 
" tJie^ would never meet again on earth .''" And as for the 
cabin passengers, numbering fifty-eight, many, like us, were 
1^ only tourists, who left no ties in Europe but those of pleas- 
ant associations, which can again be renewed. Others, mostly 
Canadians, bade affectionate good-byes to relatives, with the 
promise of visiting them soon again. Still, the dark shadow 
of that farewell, and the weeping clouds above us, threw a 
gloom over our departure, which was not removed by lying at 
Gravesend all night; but when the sun rose brightly on 



RETURNING. 301 

Thursday morning, and the billows dimpled and smiled in 
the sunlight, we felt our spirits lighten as we steamed merrily 
on. But suddenly the passengers crowded to the lee side of 
the vessel. 

" What is the matter ?" sounded from many mouths and 
looked from questioning eyes. 

" The wreck of the Princess Alice," was the reply. 

And as we floated past that dark hull, just seen above the 
surface, that terrible incident loomed before us that threw all 
London in mourning, when over six hundred men, women, 
and children were hurried into eternity without scarcely a 
warning, in the very midst of pleasant thoughts and pleasant 
surroundings ! 

We numbered seven of the former passengers of the 
Canada, but did not have as agreeable a voyage on account 
of the autumnal storms, which not only augmented sea-sick- 
ness but originated fear. We had two accidents, which lost 
us two nights of travel ; one was caused by the eccentric rod 
of the engine breaking, and the other by the somewhat eccen- 
tric action of the propeller ; to remove the latter injury the 
immense vessel was thrown to leeward, while the men were 
lowered by means of ropes to mend the damaged screw, which 
gave the passengers reasons for supposing that our destination 
was downwards instead of onwards, causing much consterna- 
tion. We had only been out three days before a rumor was 
circulated that we would put back for repairs, but I believe 
our dangers were more imaginary than real, for we had a 
good captain and a staunch crew, and in these days of so much 
ocean travel, the distance across is comparatively short. I 
often thought and spoke of Columbus in his first voyage to 
an unknown bourne, and pictured him straining his eyeballs 
far over the trackless ocean, until one of our gentlemen pas- 
sengers ridiculed my fancy stretches into the illimitable past, 
so I cherished my Columbus views alone. One lady said to 

26 



302 WE FOUR. 

us, " Just think of drifting for days and weeks, as we seem to 
be doing now, with nothing but crackers and water to Hve on." 

" Crackers and water ! what a blessing !" was the answer 
the remark called forth. 

" A blessing ! What do you see in that for a blessing, for 
even now the provisions are spoiling?" 

" Oh, I only thought you were going to mention drifting 
for days and weeks, without putting in the crackers and water." 

" I believe," and the sea-sick lady spoke vehemently, " you 
have no fear at all, or else do not see our danger !" 

"True !" the other replied. " I had that compliment paid 
to me once before, when in peril, that J was too stnpid to see 
danger. It may be so, but I had christened the feeling Faith 
instead of stupidity." 

We endeavored to get up another entertainment, similar 
to the one we had on the Canada, but it failed for lack of 
energy on the part of the sea-sick passengers, although there 
was talent enough for the purpose. 

We had on board a very quiet gentleman, who took no 
part in any of the amusements of the passengers, such as check- 
ers or cards when it was stormy, or a shuffle-board pastime on 
deck when it was clear, but at length he was induced to play a 
game of checkers with our best player on board, and his won- 
derful moves astonished his opponent so much that the query 
burst forth, " Who are you .^" The name was quietly uttered, 
but it was of one who had taken a successful part in the 
" Grand Chess Contest" that was held in Paris in 1878. He 
was not solicited very often afterwards to be a victor in a 
petty game. 

So dull and spiritless, with " dirty imather^' as the sailors 
termed it, always upon us, and with their cheering promises 
that we were approaching the " DeviCs Hole^^'' that made us 
think every time we made a lurch and found ourselves in the 
trough of the sea that we had certainly arrived at the station 



RETURNING. 303 

designated, it was a joyous relief to see tlie revolving beacon 
off of Rhode Island, and to be told tliat the pilot would board 
us that night. How anxiously we watched that dark mass on 
the horizon, with just a glimmering light, as it appeared in 
the fog, at its bow, when we were told it was the pilot ship ! 
A small boat was lowered from its side with a lantern swing- 
ing above it, and as it came towards us, sometimes rising on 
the breast of the wave and then sinking with its pulsations 
into its depths, it looked like a fairy shell that the enchanter's 
wand would cause to disappear before our anxious vision. 
But no ! cheerily she still comes on, a very insect sporting be- 
fore our mammoth ship, until she is near enough for the usual 
formal questions to be asked and answered, then nearer again, 
and the rope-ladder is thrown over the side of the Italy and 
Pilot Number 6 has boarded us, and with the prospect of home 
we retire to our berths under the protecting care of our new 
arrival. Soon we will listen no more for the cry of ^^ All's 
weW in the silent hours of the night, or count the bell-strokes 
to know the hours before the morning dawns, for will we not 
in the morning see the hills and the valleys of our own land ? 
I must tell you of a dogmatic Englishman, who had been 
one of the crosses we had to bear on our voyage across. He 
had never been outside of his " tiffht little island,'^ and had 
some very erroneous ideas on the subject of the United States, 
which notions the American gentlemen took especial care to 
foster. He was already supplied with revolvers and other 
weapons for self-defence in that terrible city of New York, to 
which he was going for a week's visit. He imagined the 
Fifth Avenue Hotel was a shanty, where roughs met and 
meals could be obtained at the rate of twenty-five cents 
apiece. " I understand, miss," he said to me in his unmis- 
takable English drawl, "that in your cities the poor are 
obliged to keep on one side of the street, as the rich monopo- 
lize the other. Is it so ?" 



304 WE FOUR. 

The absurdity of making sucla a distinction inclined me to 
laugh, but I answered as well as my risible muscles would 
allow me, " Indeed, Mr. B., I have never noticed any dis- 
tinction, as I try to take the wealthy side of the roadway 
myself." 

As we approached New York we asked another English 
gentleman, but who was much better posted in regard to 
American affairs, to explain the position of the city to Mr. B. 

After admiring the fort with its bristling guns, the villas 
on the banks, the splendid bridge that connects the sister 
cities, looking like a ribbon in the autumnal haze, the spires 
and domes of the churches and public buildings, the trees 
just arraying themselves in their gorgeous splendor, he 
quietly remarked " that things looked different from what he 
expected." 

We hope he has gone back to his native shore with en- 
larged opinions, with broader charity, with increased love for 
the good and beautiful wherever it may be found, with tender 
reminiscences of his voyage and visit, having grown in knowl- 
edge and expansion of thought and feeling as we four have 
done from our trip to Europe. 

I have brought my book to a close with reluctance. Even 
over the small portion of the Continent and Grreat Britain 
that we traversed there is revealed a wealth of information 
that I have found myself too trammelled within the limits of 
this book, to lavish as I would, and only the thought of not 
being burdensome to my readers has led me to cull out from 
my notes what I hope will prove the choicest bits for their 
tastes. 



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